Monster Hunter Destiny: Chronicle
by Cottonmouth25
Summary: Peace reigns in the Central World, where Taka and his friends are hailed as heroes. But the discovery of a new region changes things for the worse - new, deadly dangers threaten them, and there is the ominous threat of an approaching Elder Dragon hanging over our heroes' heads. How will they survive? The sequel to "Monster Hunter Destiny". Rated T for blood and the like.
1. End of the Monster War

**Greetings, and many great hellos!**

**This fanfic is the sequel to my previous Monster Hunter one, "Monster Hunter Destiny". This story is a fair bit shorter than the last, but new story elements are introduced that will help set you all up for the final installment in the MHD trilogy - "Monster Hunter Destiny: The Darkness Within".**

**I don't have a lot to go over this time - just that new, fan made monsters will appear, and that I don't claim any ownership to the Monster Hunter franchise.**

**Enjoy!**

-.-.-.-.-.

Taahnn ran for his life, charging through the thick foliage of the Wet Rainforest. His Bone armor was dripping wet from the water and streaked with mud and dead plant matter. He was covered in swamp water and sweat, and his patience was wearing thin. After all, Taahnn had been running for the past ten minutes through the muddy earth trying to reach the safety of what lied beyond the forest.

The incessant buzzing in the distance behind him didn't help. The constant noise, which felt like it was getting closer every second, goaded Taahnn to run even faster. It sounded like a hundred angry Bnahabra, and even though Taahnn didn't know what was making the terrible sound, he knew that it was far from pleasant.

Finally, the foliage began to thin and he burst out of the trees, nearly stumbling on the new, grassy terrain. Just half a kilometer away, straight ahead, lay Mediatas Village. The sight of his home and his waiting friends made Taahnn double his effort to put distance between him and his pursuers.

Suddenly, he tripped on the slightly uneven ground and fell flat on his face. His right knee, the same one that had been injured in a battle a year ago, burst with pain as it struck the hard earth. Then, almost immediately, whatever it was that was chasing him caught up and surrounded him.

Taahnn struggled to get up. He looked up into the face of his adversary - well, _faces_. Before him were at least ten Vespoid, forming a wall between him and Mediatas Village. Behind him, another ten of the yellow Neopterons had blocked off his escape back into the Wet Rainforest. _Why don't they just finish me?_ Taahnn wondered through his pain and fatigue. _What are they waiting for?_ Then he saw, and he muttered, "Oh, stinking Conga fur."

The gigantic insect that had arrived was none other than the Vespoid Queen herself. The droning hum emanating from her wings sounded like it was coming from everywhere it once. She advanced agonizingly slowly on Taahnn, extending a tail stinger longer than his arm and chittering to her Vespoid attendants. When the Queen had finished giving her orders, the twenty or so Vespoid sped off and were nowhere to be seen within seconds.

Of course, Taahnn didn't waste time asking himself why the Vespoid Queen would chase away her subjects before making the kill. He reached a hand behind him, groping for the handle of his Hunting Horn, the Volcanic Rock, upgraded from his old Basarios Rock. Taahnn found it and swung the Fire-element weapon with all of his might, ready to bash Her Royal Peskiness in the head.

The weapon struck home with the force of a Gravios's tackle (appropriate, considering the weapon's origins). However, it simply bounced off. Taahnn looked at the Hunting Horn in shock - it wasn't supposed to do that. Then he looked up, and saw that the insectoid monstrosity in front of him had, in the blink of an eye, become a hard-headed Uragaan.

Shock turned to exasperation, which quickly became rage. "TAKA!" Taahnn roared louder than a Barroth. "_WHY_ WOULD YOU _DO_ THAT?! KEEP YOUR SHAPESHIFTING TO YOURSELF NEXT TIME!" The big-chinned Brute Wyvern's tiny eyes twinkled - then it was gone, replaced with a grinning seventeen-year old wearing Qurupeco armor and a prosthetic left arm. He wore a Jhen Mohran Longsword, the Guan Dao, on his back, often referred to him as "Guan".

"That's it, Taahnn," Taka teased him. "Don't keep your anger bottled up like that, just let it all out." He swore that he saw steam erupt from Taahnn's ears. "THIS _ISN'T_ FUNNY!" his friend yelled, then seemed to make an effort to calm down. In a quieter voice that had an undercurrent of barely contained fury, "Don't you have something better to do? Like, say, I don't know... Oh! How about picking a more good-looking set of armor for your big night tonight?"

Taka's cheery expression darkened faster than the Frozen Wastes at twilight. "Things between me and Relcia are strictly private. As in, not to be mentioned around others." he growled. Indeed, his friend Relcia had just this morning asked him out while he was having breakfast with his other friends, Illeera and Mylie. Thanks to Mylie, this had rapidly become public news. Taka had been swamped with advice for his first date all day, and he wasn't in the best of moods.

With a snort of annoyance, Taahnn stalked off, throwing over his shoulder, "Oh, and you might want to look behind you." Taka's nose wrinkled in confusion, and he turned around. Then he jumped back as if scalded; he was staring into the wide-open jaws of a Nargacuga. Despite his best efforts to remain silent, a startled shriek escaped his lips, and the Nargacuga began to laugh.

_Oh, that was priceless!_ Syrie giggled hysterically. _You should have seen the look on your pale, scale-less little face!_ Taka quickly recovered when he realized that it was only Relcia's monster companion. As he was about to say something smart to her, the snappy retort died mutely in his throat as he saw Relcia herself slide down from Syrie's back.

It wasn't as if he was uncomfortable in her presence, as he had been a little over a year ago just before they began their relationship. Taka was simply stunned speechless by the armor she was wearing. Instead of her usual Rathian armor, Relcia was wearing _Gold_ Rathian armor, which had been polished until you could see your face in it. The helm was tucked under her right arm, allowing her long, shining hair to fall down to her waist. On top of all that, she had a dazzling smile on her pretty face that made Taka's heart absolutely flutter.

"Hello, Taka," Relcia greeted him warmly. "Ready to head out in a few hours?" After a few nervous swallows, Taka forced himself to speak. "Y-yes, of c-course," he stampered. "I-I've got a special a-armor set picked out, and -" He was cut short when Relcia stepped forward and wrapped her free arm around him.

"Come on, there's no need to be nervous," she soothed. "It's just me. I don't bite, you know." She giggled, and Syrie joined in behind her. "Sorry," Taka apologized, regaining some of his composure. "I just... find you stunningly beautiful. More so than usual, I mean," he added hastily. Relcia simply grinned and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'll meet you at the village gates at sunset, OK?" Without waiting for an answer, she left with Syrie. The Nargacuga winked over her shoulder and said kindly, _Good luck, Taka._

-.-.-.-.-.

Far from the Central World, in a small village tightly wedged into a tiny canyon, a seer gave his news. "I have found out something of great importance," he said cryptically. "The scouts who have come back from the Central World only thirty minutes ago report that the war there has ended, a year ago, apparently. Humans and monsters are living in peace."

There were mutterings of approval from the gathered crowd. The Chieftain stepped forward and cut directly to the chase. "This is very good news," she said to the seer. "But how is this relavent to the predictions that we have called you to make?" The seer nodded his head politely and replied, "I have seen that people from the Central World will soon find out about us, and attempt to make peaceful contact." The mutterings increased in volume. This WAS good news of great importance.

"However," the seer continued in a darker tone, "I don't know if this event is related to the coming travelers... But soon after that, the Misfortune Raven - Renalimas - will appear and doom us all." Now, the assembled villagers began shouting loudly in a panic.

The Chieftain silenced them with a wave of her hand. "You dare speak the creature's name?" she asked, voice shaking with anger. "Nothing could be more unlucky! For bringing this terrible news, and speaking of this vile Elder Dragon, I banish you from this village."

The seer nodded and turned to leave. "You can do so," he said mysteriously, "but you cannot turn the tides of fate. Renalimas will come, and there is nothing you or I can do to stop it."

-.-.-.-.-.

**Already, there's the mention of an ominous new monster. But we don't have to worry about that just yet.**

**The next chapter is coming soon! Reviews are appreciated.**

**TRIVIA: The time lapse between MHD and MHDC is slightly over a year. Just thought you should know that.**


	2. Discovery of What Lies Beyond

**Time to continue on with the story! And the cliffhanger at the end of the last chapter will remain a cliffhanger for a while. I love keeping you all in suspense.**

-.-.-.-.-.

As the sun began to set over Mediatas Village, Vulcan returned from his old home, Magma Mountain, with a dead Aptonoth clutched in his great talons. Circling once over the village, he swooped down and dropped the Herbivore carcass at the entrance to a cave in the side of a cliff. This particular cliff formed the border between Mediatas Village and the Idyllic Ocean, and a precarious path on the side was the only available pathway for humans to access that particular region. Caution was a priority - if you lost your balance, it was a LONG drop to the ocean below.

None of this was on Vulcan's mind, however. Almost as soon as he landed beside his delivery, a Rathian emerged from the cavern. This particular Flying Wyvern was Vulcan's new mate, Reia. In the past, when humans and monsters were still warring, Vulcan had lost his previous family to a group of hunters who invaded the Forested Spring. He had managed to escape with his life, but the memory of his lost family stung him so much that he came to live alone in the Magma Mountain. When the war ended, just over a year ago, Vulcan met Reia on a hunting flight with Taka, and things blossomed from there.

_Thanks, Vulcan,_ Reia said to him now. _Honestly, if the war were still going on, and I lost you, I don't know how I'd be able to take care of our eggs alone._ Vulcan's response was a modest flick of his broad wings. _It's the least I can do. I want to make sure that our children grow up with a committed father. Not to mention that I have experience raising a family._ The Rathian was about to reply when she suddenly glanced behind him and assumed a defensive pose between her and the nest she had made in the cliff.

Vulcan turned and saw his friend Jin galloping toward them. Jin was a Zinogre pup that had been rescued by Illeera in the Forested Spring just after the war ended. He had been orphaned not even a day before, and had accepted the human girl as his new protector. Now, they were inseparable companions and friends to the death. _It's fine, Reia._ Vulcan assured his mate. _Jin won't do any harm to the nest._ But he knew that nothing would calm her down. Nesting Rathians were notoriously edgy, sometimes bordering on hostile. Luckily, Reia wasn't the aggressive type.

When Jin reached the pair of wyverns, Vulcan immediately saw something was wrong. The young Fanged Wyvern was panting heavily and his fur stuck out haphazardly. _Vulcan,_ he said, exhausted. _Where's... Taka? I need him... right away!_ Vulcan frowned and said in response, _Taka left with Relcia just a few minutes ago, I believe. Why, what's the matter?_

Jin paused before telling Vulcan and Reia, trying to catch his breath between words. When he had finished spilling out his story, the pair looked at each other worriedly. _This is bad,_ Reia said, stating the obvious. _Vulcan, you watch over the nest while Jin and I look for Taka. Jin, you'd better tell Ignatius to tag along too._ Jin frowned, still panting although not quite as heavily. _Ignatius? Why not Syrie? She's faster, and anyway, Relcia might be concerned too._

Reia rolled her eyes at the pup's indignance. _Fine,_ she told him. _Tell her too, b_ut _hurry! We need to head to the Forested Spring right away and tell Taka and Relcia the bad news!_

-.-.-.-.-.

Taka's "special" armor set turned out to be Crimson Qurupeco armor, almost identical to his ordinary Qurupeco set except for the color. He had acquired it from a trader bringing supplies from the Moga region. Although the Central World had been trading with Mingarde and Moga for decades, they had only recently began swapping armor sets and weapons with each other. Taka's Red Qurupeco armor had cost him his entire Kut-Ku armor set, which he had gotten from his sister Hydra.

When Relcia had met him at the entrance to the Forested Spring at sundown, she had raised her eyebrows. "Another Qurupeco set?" she had asked skeptically. Taka had exclaimed indignantly, "I go with what's comfortable. That, and it's clean."

The sun was almost fully down when the couple reached the lake that gave the Forested Spring its name. Taka sat down on the shore against a large boulder, while Relcia sat on his lap, stroking his dirty-blond hair and gazing out at the water.

"Remember when we were last here, a year ago?" she asked, mouth tweaking upwards at the edges. "We were sent here to gather items for our next training assignment," Taka confirmed, mind floating back to that twilit afternoon. "I was gathering when you startled me."

Relcia pointed to a clutch of dark red mushrooms growing near them on a piece of rotten wood. "I gave you the Dragon Toadstool I found in the forest," she continued on wistfully. "Then we held hands" - she reached out and gently grabbed Taka's hand - "I wrapped my arm around you, like this" - she proceeded to do so - "and finally, I leaned forward..."

Taka interrupted, "And then two Agsolesteas ambushed us. I didn't want you to say that in case you jinxed it and it happened again." Relcia laughed and brought her face closer to his. "Don't you think we should make up for that?" she murmured. She released Taka's hand and touched his cheek tenderly.

"As a certain Remobra once said to me, it pays to be opportunistic," agreed Taka. And before he knew it, Relcia closed the centimeter-wide distance between them and passionately kissed him. Warmth and comfort flooded Taka's heart as he closed his eyes, reached up with his free hand and clutched the back of her head, pressing her closer...

The ground suddenly trembled violently. The pair extracted themselves from each other's embrace and stood up. "Can we honestly get _one_ touching moment together without being interrupted?" Taka growled, reaching for Guan's handle. Relcia got out her upgraded Wolf Tessen and piled on, "First the Agsolesteas... then the Deviljho... now this - whatever it is."

The earth in front of them suddenly heaved and the ends of two horns poked out. They slowly worked their way up with what looked like quite a bit of difficulty, until a full minute later, the head of a Diablos was emerging from the ground. Taka instantly recognized it as Taahnn's friend Ignatius.

_I HATE burrowing in the forest!_ Ignatius raged. _The soil is FAR too thick and compacted! I could barely breathe on my way here!_ Then he noticed Taka and Relcia standing there, weapons lowered. _Oh, hello. Enjoying your night, then? Not every day you see a Diablos in the Forested Spring, is it? Now I know why..._ Ignatius continued to grumble to himself as he tried to further free himself.

The trees and shrubs behind them suddenly rustled madly as a Rathian and a Nargacuga stepped out from them. _Sorry to disturb you,_ Syrie apologized sincerely - she was one of the only monsters in Mediatas Village that took romance seriously. _We have important news. Bad news, admittedly... but important!_

Reia spoke up, _Taka, Relcia, we need you at Mediatas Village now!_ Jin suddenly burst through the foliage at running speed, stopping too late and smashing into Syrie. Not even bothering wasting time apologizing (although he did take note of the Pseudowyvern's enraged glare and shrink back a little), he yelped, _It's terrible! Bronton... Bronton, he... _Jin was too choked with emotion to continue.

"Bronton what?" asked Taka, voice rising in worry. "What's happened to him?" Ignatius, who had successfully gotten his wings and upper body above ground said in a quiet voice, _He came back from his mission in the Frozen Wastes... He's been fatally wounded. He's dying, Taka._

-.-.-.-.-.

The two friends burst into the room, only to see that Taahnn, Illeera, and Mylie were also there. They all had grim expressions on their faces as they stood over Bronton, covered heavily with blood-stained bandages and lying down on his bed, face pale.

Taka's comrade, Lauren, was there, applying the bandages and changing the water-soaked cloth on his forehead. Lauren, a Tea-Spotted Melynx, had become Taka's "apprentice", as she said, just five months ago, accompanying him on various patrolling missions around the Central World. She was a bit of a klutz, not to mention a kleptomaniac like all Melynxes, but she more than made up for that with enthusiasm and loyalty. However, all of her cheerfulness had vanished on this particular day.

"Taka," Lauren spoke up now as she suddenly noticed him in the doorway. "I'd purr-fer not to be the one to tell you this, nya... but I'm afraid Bronton won't make it. He was ambushed -" here her claws unsheathed as she became angrier - "by a foul, purr-nicious World Eater... the Deviljho himself, nya." Taka's heart sank down to somewhere near his toes.

The Melynx continued speaking; "He acquired a serious bite, nya, and be-claws of this, his life is rapidly fading. I... I think he wants to say something to you all before... before he leaves us for good, nya."

The five friends, plus Lauren, gathered around Bronton's bed to listen. His voice came out after a few swallows - his mouth was dry, and his voice nothing but a croak. "Listen closely, rookies," he said quietly (Bronton still liked using that term even though they were finished their training). "I've gotten... news of great importance. North of the distant Moga region... there is another, new region. It has just recently been discovered... and has been named 'the Mysterious Beyond'."

There was a collective gasp. This truly was tremendous news! "I request..." Bronton went on. "...that the five of you travel to this new region... and make peaceful contact with the humans living there. But... be careful, as we know nothing... of the monsters that inhabit the Beyond... or of how fiercely the ongoing war is raging there."

There was hushed silence when he paused, in order to let this new information sink in. Before anyone could speak again, Bronton spoke once more. "I have... one more thing to say... to Taka." Taka's eyes widened at this and he leaned forward cautiously. "Go on..." he encouraged.

"Taka... I... I am your father."

An even greater silence ensued. Finally, Taka whispered, "What...?"

Bronton smiled slightly and started to explain: "I didn't die at the fins of that blasted Gobul trying to save you. I was badly wounded, with the neurotoxins coursing through me. I needed three weeks to fully heal. When I recovered, I decided that you and your sister were better off believing that I had died.

"I changed my armor and weapon to the ones that you see me with all the time... But sixteen years later, when you arrived for training with your friends, I couldn't shake the feeling that I knew you somehow. I had completely forgotten Hydra, thanks to the Gobul's poison. She was the one who told me that the Guan Dao you currently carry once belonged to your mother, and that was how I knew.

"And now, at the brink of death, my memory has finally come back to me. I remember Hydra and your mother before she perished seventeen years ago. Most of all, I have finally realized that you are truly my son." Bronton's body spasmed for a second, and then he finished, "Goodbye, Taka... I am proud to have been your trainer, and father..." With that, his eyes closed and he lay still on his bed.

Taka, Lauren, and the rest were all numb with shock. Finally, Taka found his voice. "I spent my entire life thinking that I was an orphan. Now I know that wasn't the case. And to be told that I had a father, all that time - and to have him taken away just like that - I... I..." Tears began dripping onto his lap, staining the Crimson Qurupeco feathers.

Everyone left to let Taka mourn in peace... everyone except Relcia, who stayed behind to comfort him. "Taka, I know that this is hard for you," she whispered in his ear, walking up beside him and hugging him tightly around the waist. "I admit, I don't know exactly how you feel... but I'm here to help you through this."

Taka took off his glasses and wiped his eyes in his sleeve. "Thank you," he murmured, voice breaking as he hugged her back. Relcia rested her head on his shoulder and nuzzled him a bit. "I love you, Taka. More than anything." He smiled, content for the moment and reassured by her words.

They stood there in the dark room, just the two of them, and silently wept for their lost friend - and in Taka's case, father..

-.-.-.-.-.

**Please, no Star Wars references.**

**But the story's getting more interesting, bit by bit... we have another interrupted romance scene, the introduction of a few new characters, and the death of an old one.**

**See you all soon for the next chapter!**

**TRIVIA: Lauren is my Felyne Comrade in MHFU.**


	3. New World, Different Monsters

**Sorry for the delay, readers. My keyboard broke over the March Break and we had to get a new one, so... yeah, sorry about that.**

**Anyway, let's get this show back on the road!**

-.-.-.-.-.

Vulcan just stared as Taka, Relcia, Illeera, Mylie, and Taahnn finished speaking. Then, he hesitantly responded, _A new region? Seriously?_ Taahnn nodded his confirmation.

_I'd love to go!_ Vulcan suddenly burst out. _I'm honestly delighted that you asked for me to help you get there! But..._The Rathalos's expression darkened. _I won't be able to stay for the entire trip. Reia will need me, and as you can probably guess, other Rathalos don't just walk out on their mate and chicks like that._

Taka nodded. He had regained some of his usual cheer shortly after he and Relcia had finished saying their prayers for Bronton. "I understand completely, my friend. Our journey is no reason for you to abandon - sorry, that sounded a bit harsh - your new family. We only need you to fly us there. That's all."

The Flying Wyvern agreed to take the group of five, plus Lauren, who was accompanying Taka, to the Mysterious Beyond and leave them there for a few weeks, at the most. According to Hydra, who had gotten the information separately, the Beyond was located to the north of the Moga region. She also said that it would be likely that they'd encounter Moga monsters there, since the two regions were so close to each other.

Taahnn took his usual armor and weapon - his Bone set and the Volcanic Rock. Mylie wore her Ludroth armor and carried her Agnablaster Bowgun, as well as a wide range of ammo. Taka obviously wore his Qurupeco armor and his Guan Dao, and Relcia took her ordinary Rathian armor as well as her Wolf Tessen. Illeera, as always, wore her Zinogre armor and equipped herself with the Sonic Bow IV.

Everyone made last minute preparations and readied themselves to leave before sunrise, so that they'd get there by the late morning, at the least. Their monster friends wished them all the best of luck, of course, and were told not to worry if they weren't back soon.

Mylie in particular had the most trouble saying goodbye. She was the only one out of the group of five that hadn't found a monster companion yet. Even though, because of this, the other monsters - Ignatius, Vulcan, Syrie, Reia, and Jin - all spent equal time with her and considered her a great friend, it didn't help. You see, Mylie was also the only one of the five that still didn't understand the monster language. She had no idea why she hadn't figured it out yet (for Taka, Hydra, and Taahnn, it had just came to them, and for Relcia and Illeera, it was because they were so close to Taka). Everyone else had to translate their monster friends' comments and questions to her, and as you can guess, this didn't exactly help her self-esteem.

Before everyone left for a good night's rest, Hydra informed them that she wouldn't be coming with them to the Mysterious Beyond. Her excuse was that she had to keep charge of the patrols around the Central World (instead of hunting, the patrols would explore the various areas and report any suspicious or dangerous activity), since she had been promoted to the position of Patrol Manager just a month ago. Taka, however, knew the _real_ reason - his sister just wanted to spend more time with her own monster companion, a feisty Basarios, and her new husband, Ignus.

Taka was so tired, thought, that he couldn't, he wouldn't, think about any of this. When he entered his small, nearly bare room, he was asleep as soon as he hit the bed. But as he slept, he dreamt.

-.-.-.-.-.

_Taka was completely alone. The bitter cold of the Frozen Wastes seeped into his very bones. It was night-time, and he knew that if he didn't find some kind of warmth fast, he would freeze to death._

_Then a guttural roar shook snow from the cliffs and trees around him and caused the earth to shake. Taka ran from the sound, terrified. He knew that he was heading away from the roar, but when he entered an icy tunnel and rounded a corner, he came face to face with the source._

_A huge grey Brute Wyvern with a dark aura stood in front of him, immense jaws producing drool that steadily dripped onto the ground by its feet. Taka, frozen with fear, waited for the Deviljho to swallow him whole - just as it had done to his friend Ryka long ago - when an Agnaktor Lance speared it in the side out of nowhere. The World Eater turned and faced its new adversary... Bronton._

_"Taka! Run! Don't let it get you!" he cried out, breath fanning out before him in chilly clouds. "I'll be fine! Just don't look back!" Taka shook his head and reached for Guan. "Father! I'm going to help you!" he screeched in his terror and now-growing rage._

_The vibrations made by the Deviljho's roar, by some freakish misfortune, caused the cavern to collapse. "Go, Taka! Save yourself!" Bronton called out, desperately blocking the Brute Wyvern's attacks, but losing stamina fast. With a final, guilty glance at his father, Taka sprinted for the exit, not daring to look back and see Bronton's fate for himself._

-.-.-.-.-.

He woke up in a cold sweat. Reflexively, Taka glanced around and, seeing that he was safe and back in Mediatas Village, relaxed. Groaning, he sat up and glanced out the window. Sunrise. That meant he had to start getting ready for the big trip to the Mysterious Beyond.

The instant he finished putting his armor on, Illeera and Relcia both walked in. "The others are already waiting," Illeera informed him. "It turns out that we were so excited about the trip that none of us could sleep properly. We got up extra early." She handed him half a loaf of bread and finished, "Eat that, and then grab your things. Vulcan will be awake soon." Illeera left the room before Taka could even open his mouth.

He sat down heavily on his bed, taking a large bite out of the bread. As he chewed, he thought back to his nightmare and shuddered. He suddenly felt very sad, and swallowed his mouthful a little louder than he should have.

Relcia sat down beside him and put her arm around him. "Something bothering you?" she asked softly. Taka grimaced and told her about the nightmare. When he stopped talking, tears were already forming in his eyes and flowing freely down his face.

"Oh, Taka," she breathed after a moment's pause. "It was only a dream. It didn't really -" She cut herself off. _Yes, it did happen, _she reminded herself. _That's what's scaring him so much._ Thinking for a second, Relcia hesitantly reformed her sentence. "You don't have to worry anymore. Just put the past behind you, and remember..." She smiled soothingly and put her other arm around him. "I'm always here for you."

Taka sniffled and wiped away his tears. Attempting a smile, he said hoarsely, "That's my Relcia." They kissed briefly, then Relcia went to join the others. Taka quickly finished his small (but admittedly filling) breakfast and went outside as well, ready for anything.

Ten minutes later, Illeera, Mylie, Relcia, and Taahnn were all on Vulcan's back, flying over the Barren Desert. Taka was flying beside Vulcan in the form of an owl-like Glauxiturn, making virtually no noise as he flapped. Lauren was on his back, hanging on tightly. They were on their way towards the Desert Sea, a monstrously large desert that started on the far end of the Barren Desert and ended up in the Moga Region. Apparently, Jhen Mohran still dwelled there, but Taka had never believed that. Those great Elder Dragons had gone extinct decades ago, or so everyone believed.

A few hours passed. The group was now well over the Desert Sea, and Taka was growing tired. _I'm not used to all of this flapping, _he thought, exhausted. "Lauren, brace yourself," he called over his shoulder, and abruptly turned into a large Bnahabra. The Melynx yowled as she started to fall - and was instantly caught in Taka's six-legged grasp. He flew Lauren over to Vulcan, dropped her on his back, and landed beside her.

_No fair,_ complained Vulcan as he felt the added weight. _I have to fly the ENTIRE way there!_ Taka grinned - or, at least, made an expression that was as close to a grin as a Neopteron came. "Not my fault you aren't a shapeshifter," he buzzed, rubbing his wings together in an amused way. "And the King of the Skies shouldn't complain about long flights." Everyone laughed, even Vulcan. _Very funny. If only all Bnahabra had your sense of humor._

For the next hour or so, everyone was talking and joking, trying to pass the time. Illeera had launched into a story of how she had found a wounded Agnaktor on patrol in the Magma Mountain, and nursed it back to health. "...So I bandaged its leg, and told it to take it easy for a few days. I'm sure it's fine now." When she finished her story, Taahnn piped up, "You bandaged a lava-hot monster with your bare hands?"

Illeera gave him a skeptical look. "Obviously not. I waited for his hide to grow cool again, what do you think? He hardened pretty quickly." Vulcan, who had mostly stayed out of the conversation until now, interjected, _To use a popular human phrase, that's what she said._ There were gales of laughter at this remark, and everyone had trouble catching their breath.

Finally, the journey ended when Vulcan left the Tundra behind him at twilight. As the immense, snow-covered mountains vanished into the distance, the terrain became barren. Vulcan prepared to land, throwing out his talons and ceasing his flapping, slowly gliding down to the ground. The landing was a little rough, but nothing his passengers couldn't handle.

Vulcan prepared to say goodbye at last. _I have to go, Taka, _he said sadly. _Reia needs me. Good luck on your adventure._ He nuzzled Taka and the others in farewell, spread his wings - and suddenly his expression changed to one of horror. Taka looked in that direction and gasped. There were three humans walking towards them, and he was sure that they had seen them arrive with the Flying Wyvern.

Mylie gulped and Taahnn's eyes narrowed. "Go, Vulcan. Go!" whispered Taka urgently, and the Rathalos took off with only a moment's hesitation. Unsure of how they would be treated for being on such friendly terms with a monster, the party prepared to face the oncoming trio.

-.-.-.-.-.

As it turned out, the three people that had come to greet them were quite nice. Later, they would explain that their race had stopped warring with the monsters long ago, and seeing humans and monsters cooperating was a welcome sight to them.

The one in the center was the Village Chieftain, and old, kindly woman who moved with the aid of a stick not unlike the one Taahnn once used. Her short, grey hair was wrapped in a tiny bun on the side of her head, and she was almost pathetically thin. The Chieftain treated the group as if they were honored guests, which, technically, they were.

To the Chieftain's left was a young girl of about Taka's age who, he saw with a start, was wearing Qurupeco armor like him. It turned out that Tenris (that was her name) was the Chieftain's daughter, next in line to take charge of her village. Taka had to admit that Tenris was extremely pretty, with radiant blue eyes and her black hair tied in two long ponytails that reminded him of the scythes of a Shogun Ceanataur. She greeted them all cheerfully and shook each of their hands with great enthusiasm - she gave Taka a slightly flirtatious smile when she shook his, making Relcia dislike her immediately.

The last of the trio was a boy named Elric, who was adorned with armor made from Red Khezu hide. According to him, he was Tenris's twin brother and the chief blacksmith for their village. His tanned face was streaked with soot and other grime, for which he apologized sheepishly. He had the same eyes as his sister, and relatively long, blond hair, the polar opposite color of her's. Elric was a little shy toward the newcomers, especially, it seemed, Illeera. Taka caught sight of a tiny blush when he greeted her.

When all of the necessary introductions were made, Tenris, Elric, and the Chieftain led them toward their village, which they explained was hidden in what they called the Desert Ravine. It was a long trek across the barren, rocky land, which soon turned into a desert. Cool Drinks were kindly supplied by the gang's hosts, whom they grew more comfortable with every minute.

"You see," the Chieftain said casually, "our world has been free of war for over fifty years. Except for the occasional fit of anger, the monsters here more or less ignore us now." Tenris picked up where she left off. "Yeah, and we're really starting to feel how good it is to live in peace. Although, we're not quite on your level, are we? Using wyverns as transport and all." She gave Taka another smile, this time accompanied by a wink. Relcia scowled and clenched her fists.

Elric began to speak, a little quietly. "When we heard from our old seer that you Central World folks had stopped warring as well, we were very excited. That meant that the other humans are slowly waking up and realizing that peaceful surrender is the way to go."

The group of nine kept chatting all the way to Canyon Village (which was what the Chieftain called it). Eventually, Cool Drinks were no longer necessary as they moved out of the desert and into the Desert Ravine itself. The caves that made up this gorge were cool and dark, with an astounding array of new wildlife. Tenris and Elric pointed out a group of Dytrog - slimy, amphibious Herbivores that reminded Taka of Nibelsnarfs - as well as Khezu Whelps, Giggi-like creatures that he knew existed in the Central World, but had never saw one.

After a seeing nothing but dripping caves and extensive pools of luminous water, the party finally reached a part of the Ravine that was bathed in sunlight. It was a small, almost perfectly circular cleft, open to the sky and surrounded on all sides by cliff walls. "Welcome to Canyon Village," said the Chieftain, bowing her head in a humble manner. "This is our home, as well as yours, for as long as you stay here."

Taka felt that Canyon Village was similar to Mediatas Village, in a way. There was a forge, where Elric worked most of the time, a stall selling Potions, Bowgun ammo, and other things, and even a farm, which was built onto a natural, elevated platform on one of the ravine walls. He saw that it was accessible only by climbing - a long row of handholds had been dug into the rock beside it.

Suddenly a bell rang, and all of the villagers stopped going about their business and crowded around a large, central dining table made of wood. "Oh, yeah!" cried Tenris. "You folks have arrived at the best time of the day. We all eat our meals together, so it feels like you're sharing your time with -"

She abruptly stopped as a loud, weird, and creepy gurgle echoed out from the cave from which they had entered. "Crap," Tenris growled. "Friends, stay here while we fetch our weapons - we're about to have an unexpected guest join us for meal time."

-.-.-.-.-.

**I'm going to stop the chapter there, just for the suspense. You'll have to wait a little bit for the next chapter XD**

**So, see you all soon!**

**TRIVIA: At my friend's request, I named the young blacksmith Elric after a character from her favorite anime.**


	4. Time for Dinner, Pariapuria

**So here's the next chapter, as promised.**

**... I don't really have much else to say about this chapter.**

-.-.-.-.-.

Tenris and Elric ran off to grab their weapons, while the Chieftain alerted the rest of the villagers to the coming danger. Everyone except Taka and his friends scattered for cover - in seconds, the place was deserted. _That was quick,_ he thought idly. _Maybe they do regular drills for this sort of thing._

The gurgle came again, sounding like whatever it was had come quite a bit closer. The hairs on the back of Taka's neck stood up as he readied Guan, inserting the handle into his prosthetic arm. Illeera readied her Sonic Bow IV, dipping some of her arrows in Paralysis Coating in case she needed to immobilize the coming monster in a hurry. She stumbled a little bit on her wooden leg, then rapidly recovered. Everyone else drew their weapons.

They didn't have long to wait. With a warbling roar, a grotesque, slimy monster leapt from the darkness, landing clumsily on its feet. The creature had slick scales that looked more like a frog's skin than real scales. Its head was adorned with multiple fins, and its tail was wide and flattened slightly. The monster's black eyes seemed to stare right through Taka, and it made a harsh growl that sounded nothing like its previous noises.

Then, Taka realized that it wasn't making that growl at all. _That's its stomach,_ he realized grimly._It's come here to steal food, probably. And if we get in the way, we'll be appetizers._

Before the strange creature, which looked like some kind of Pseudowyvern, could attack, Tenris and Elric returned fully armed. Tenris, Taka saw, had gotten a Qurupeco Chopper Sword and Shield to go with her armor set, and Elric wielded a Greatsword that Taka knew to be called a Khezu Shock Sword. _Is it just coincidental, or did they specifically pick weapons that matched their armor? ... Probably not._

With one more warble, the Pseudowyvern lashed out with a claw, straight at Taahnn and Mylie. Taahnn's reaction was to dodge and bash it in the head with his Volcanic Rock, making the monster flinch at the pain. Mylie blasted it with Flaming Shots from the sidelines, and it winced at the burning, stinging cuts that opened in its side.

Tenris emitted a battle cry, then lunged, striking three times with her Qurupeco Chopper and then retreating when the wyvern retaliated. Growling, it quickly spun, swinging its tail in her direction. It would have flung her the length of the village if it weren't for Elric, who blocked the blow magnificently with his Great Sword. Tenris jumped in with one more slash when the creature turned toward her brother, successfully distracting it enough for him to get away.

Relcia took advantage of the beast's confusion to swipe repeatedly at its wing with her Wolf Tessen. It howled in agony from the relentless pain, and when it jumped at her, it stumbled on the injured leg. Taka saw that it was truly in pain... it shook uncontrollably, wing twitching and shuddering madly as it tried to rise. He dropped from a battle-ready pose to an idle one, staring at the Pseudowyvern in pity. He could practically feel its pain.

"Over here, Pariapuria!" called Tenris, leaping in with two more attacks with her Qurupeco Chopper. The Pariapuria charged at her, bowling her over. When it prepared to take a bite from her unconscious form, Illeera shouted at it. "Chew on this!" she shrieked, launching three paralyzing arrows in quick succession.

The result was instantaneous. The Pariapuria stopped dead, body shuddering and jerking as it tried to fight the paralysis. Taahnn moved to finish it when Taka snapped out of his state of inactivity. "LEAVE IT BE!" he boomed, pushing Taahnn out of the way. In a calmer tone, he said, "Let me handle this." With a moment's consideration, Taahnn nodded and moved away.

Taka moved up to the spasming Pseudowyvern, slowly and calmly, trying not to startle it. Putting his weapon away, he gestured for Tenris and Elric to stay put, as they had also been moving to finish the wyvern. Gently putting his hand on the Pariapuria's great, finned head, Taka felt its shudders stop as it instinctively relaxed.

"What do you want?" Taka whispered soothingly. "Why are you here on such aggressive terms?" The Pariapuria's eyes widened in surprise, then it responded with fear and desperation in its voice. _I'm hungry!_ she whined like a small child. _I was searching all day, but I couldn't catch anything, and I was too weak to steal a meal from the scavengers, and I only considered coming here because I couldn't think of anything else to do!_ Her voice rose to a high-pitched scream as her eyes simultaneously filled with tears.

Behind Taka, Relcia and Illeera's faces both softened at the Pariapuria's desperate voice. Taahnn and Mylie remained stoic, but dropped their weapons. Elric and Tenris looked at them with confusion - they had no idea what the wyvern was saying. Taka ignored all of this, focusing entirely on the now-sobbing Pseudowyvern. _She's fully grown, and ferocious enough to scare even a Rhenoplos,_ Taka thought, heart turning to mush. _But inside, she's only a chick. And I would never turn down a child in need._

"We will bring you food if you promise to leave here in peace," Taka murmured in its ear. "Will you do that?" The Pariapuria sniffled and tried to stand as its paralysis finally began to wear off. _OK,_ she said, voice cracking. _I'll leave you be._ Taka nodded, then turned to Elric and Tenris and told them to bring the Pseudowyvern food.

Elric's mouth dropped open at the sheer _audacity_ of the request - bringing this clearly bloodthirsty beast food?! - but grudgingly agreed. Tenris raised her eyebrows, but accepted as well. Taka suspected that it was only because _he_made the request that she was going along with it. Relcia figured this out as well, and narrowed her eyes.

Soon, the young Pariapuria was happily gobbling the last of the mountain of Aptonoth meat that she had recieved. Belching loudly, she yelped happily, _Thank you! Thank you very much! ... Sorry I ate like such a glutton, but I was just so __**hungry**__, I couldn't help myself._ The Pseudowyvern looked at the group self-consciously, shifting her paws in embarrasment.

"It's Tenris and Elric you should be thanking," offered Illeera, stepping up beside her. "They agreed to give you a free meal, after all." The Pariapuria gave them the stink eye. _Fine,_ she snapped. _You two are murderous jerks, but... thanks._ Taka translated her words to the duo behind him (obviously without the insult).

_I'll never forget you..._ The Pariapuria paused and looked at Taka curiously. _Could you tell me your name, please?_Taka told it to her, and she finished her sentence. _...Taka. I'll never forget you, Taka. You can count on it!_ She gave him a sloppy lick across the cheek, then she bounded back into the cavern from which she came.

-.-.-.-.-.

The group settled around a small bonfire in the middle of Canyon Village, along with the Chief, Tenris, and Elric. It was night, and they had been talking enthusiastically, swapping stories and telling jokes.

"I still can't believe that you Central World people are so tight with the monsters," commented Tenris, finishing off a Well-Done Steak. "It blows my mind." She gave Taka another smile - a normal one this time. Now that she knew that Taka already had a girlfriend, she behaved normally in front of him, something that Relcia took in stride. The two girls were making an effort to get along with each other now.

"For me," cut in Elric, fiddling with his drinking glass. "It's how you all can communicate with the monsters themselves. It's unbelieveable." He stole a glance at Illeera, and when she glanced back, he blushed and continued to play with his cup. Taka grinned at the sight - he vividly remembered himself behaving the same way in front of Relcia, all that time ago.

Tenris picked up where Elric had left off. "Yeah, I can't see my brother and I becoming so close with that Pariapuria," she half-joked, making everyone chuckle. "Did you know," she said in a more serious tone, "that Pariapuria are monsters from the Great Frontier?" This time, the reaction was a string of gasps.

The Chieftain spoke now. "No one knows how monsters from such a far away and supposedly deadly realm got here," she said quietly. "Luckily, they don't seem to give us a lot of trouble - at least, most of the time." Taka's mind was reeling. _Monsters from the Great Frontier come here?_ he managed to ask himself through his astonishment. _How long will our lives last in this new world?_ He instantly pushed that question aside.

The Chief must have been guilty for setting everyone on edge like that, as she abruptly changed the subject. "Do any of you know about the Elements?" she asked, raising her thin eyebrows. Illeera answered almost immediately, "Fire, Water, Ice, Thunder, and Dragon. Why do you ask?"

Eyes wide, Tenris leaned forward and lowered her voice. "Each human being carries one of the Elements deep inside him or her," she said in an almost conspiratorial whisper. "In a few people - and this is extremely rare - this single Element is prevalent enough so that the human in question can actually harness and control the powers that this Element gives them."

Elric continued for her, "Not only that, but there are certain people with the ability to instantly recognize which Element that these select few people have the potential to control." The Chief nodded sagely. "I am one of those people," she said, then went on grimly, "Our seer was as well."

Taka and the others had heard references to a seer that lived in Canyon Village until very recently. They were wise enough not to question, as the subject seemed to put the Chieftain in a bad mood. Instead of pressing further, Mylie cautiously asked, "... What Elements do we have, Chieftain? Do you know?"

The old woman smiled. "Ordinarily, I would say no... But, by some strange coincedence, each of you actually do have control over one of the Elements. Yours is Ice, Mylie." She drew a sharp breath and fingered the hood of her Ludroth headpiece in surprise.

"Taahnn, your Element is Fire." Taka snickered madly. "Makes sense - judging by your temper, after all..." He was unable to continue, as his snickering turned into a series of high-pitched giggles when Taahnn gave him a death stare. This bout of ridiculous laughter caused everyone to join in.

When they had all settled down, the Chief continued, "Illeera, you have the potential to control the Dragon element. Taka, your Element is Thunder." They both considered this as she finished with a kind smile, "That leaves Water for you, Relcia." She smiled back.

Taka chose that moment to speak his mind. "How did I guess that?" he asked, more to himself than anyone else. "It suits you, I guess. Water is fluid, calm, peaceful..." He trailed off.

Relcia looked at him curiously. "Everything suits me, doesn't it?" she asked him rhetorically. "First you commented on my Rathian armor, and now this." Taka simply smiled. "Yep, it all suits you perfectly," he said softly, dipping his head closer to hers and grinning uncontrollably. They kissed quickly, and Tenris pointedly looked away. Illeera and Mylie's expressions softened as they always did when Taka and Relcia were having a romantic moment.

The peaceful silence was broken by Elric, commenting with a yawn, "It's getting late, so I'm off to bed. I need to be up early if I want to guide you all around the Mysterious Beyond, as you call it." Illeera looked at him with something like awe. "You'd do that for us?" she asked tentatively.

He smiled slightly. "Of course. Isn't that what you came here to do - explore and learn about this new world?" He left without another word.

In seconds, everyone had climbed into their individual tents and fallen asleep. It had been a long and surprising day - and tomorrow, it would be even more so.

-.-.-.-.-.

**Like I said, I really have nothing else to say. Except now, it's revealed that our five heroes each have the potential to control one of the five elements.**

**What will they make of these powers and how will they learn to control them? Next chapter coming soon, and please review!**

**TRIVIA: The inhabitants of what the others call the Mysterious Beyond don't actually have a name for their region. The reason for this - I couldn't think of one XD**


	5. Enter Tartu in the Murky Bog

**Sigh... next chapter's up. This is probably my least favorite installment of the MHD trilogy, the first one is better and the third one is turning out better as well.**

**DevoidMoon: In this case, I've written the entire fanfiction out on another website, and I'm transferring it bit by bit onto this site. In the cases of most of my other fanfics, I've posted each chapter after I've written it.**

-.-.-.-.-.

Elric led a group of three - Taka, Mylie, and Relcia - through the dense, forested Murky Bog. Tenris, Taahnn, and Illeera were all absent from this excursion, as they were exploring an area known as the Great Mountain.

The Murky Bog rapidly became one of Taka's most hated places of all time, right next to the Barren Desert in the middle of the day and the Frozen Wastes' caverns. The ground was muddy and slimy, clinging to his Qurupeco-skin boots and making walking a chore. There was a perpetual mist that hung over everything, making it next to impossible to see. Adding to his frustration were the mosquitoes, which were the size of Jaggi, and the fact that they hadn't seen any new monsters, as Elric had promised them.

"Ugh!" he exclaimed as another giant bug approached him. Slapping it away, he cursed and said, "How can anyone stand coming here for any reason?" Elric glanced back at him and told him, "You might not like it, but the monsters sure do."

Taka huffed, "What monsters? The only creatures I've seen so far are these... god-damned... bugs!" He finished his sentence in a raised voice as he swatted another huge mosquito. Mylie giggled at the spectacle, then suddenly, her good eye bulged. "Taka!" she exclaimed. "When did you have two hands?!" The others turned to look as well.

Indeed, Taka had miraculously gotten rid of his prosthetic arm, and in its place was a real-deal, flesh-and-bone hand. He feigned shock, staring at it in ridiculously phony surprise and flexing his new fingers. "Color me surprised," he muttered.

Relcia put one hand on her hip. "Alright, Taka, enough funny business," she ordered him in a stern voice that surprised even her. "Humans don't grow arms or legs like Carapaceons. What happened?" Taka tried to keep a straight face, and failed spectacularly, dissolving into giggles. "OK, you got me," he admitted, trying to catch his breath. "I'm honestly disappointed that it took you this long to notice."

Taka proceeded to explain; "I learned, just a month ago, that if I concentrate hard enough, I can shapeshift _partially_. With enough practice, I became able to not only change my entire appearance" - he turned into a Genprey to demonstrate - "but change only one aspect of my appearance as well." As he said this, the Genprey sprouted Vespoid wings and began to hover above the swampy earth.

Of the three speechless faces before him - which he observed with delicious satisfaction - Elric was the most shocked. "H-he can shapeshift?!" he stuttered. Mylie took him aside and explained as briefly as she could. "He could do that ever since he was born," she said matter-of-factly. "It took him eight years to learn how to control it. And before you ask, no one knows how he acquired this power." Elric only stared at the mutant Genprey, whose body parts went through several individual changes at once before becoming human again.

"I never noticed it before..." Relcia breathed. "But when we were in the Forested Spring yesterday... you had shapeshifted like that! You changed your wooden arm into a real one!" Taka nodded once and grinned at her reaction. "I thought I'd look more respectable on my first date with two fully functional arms, not just one. And I can't believe that you never noticed!" They all began to laugh.

Mylie stopped laughing first and asked, "There's one thing, Taka, that I don't understand. How can you keep a form like that for so long? Don't you, when you lose your concentration or run out of energy, change back to your original form?"

Taka's response was a shake of the head and a chuckle. "Nope," he confirmed. "When I shift, I can be in that form for as long as I want. If I want to become... well, _me_... again, I simply change again. It's not like my power 'turns off' or anything like that. My current form automatically becomes my original form."

When he said it like that, Relcia realized several things could be explained. For example, when Taka had turned into a Glauxiturn in order to get revenge on his friends (Relcia winced at the memory, for Taka had seriously injured, and almost killed, her), he had remained in his Pseudowyvern form even after being put into a drugged sleep by Illeera.

Before she could say any of this, there was a hissing roar that emanated from the mist behind them. Taka began muttering, "No... no... I refuse to believe this." Elric's Khezu Shock Sword was already in his hands, and he motioned for the three friends to move behind him. Still muttering, Taka readied Guan, and Mylie cautiously loaded some more Flaming Shots into her Agnablaster.

They didn't have long to wait. Emerging from the fog was a massive Gobul, mouth open wide to reveal rows of jagged teeth, spiny tail thrashing and causing the mist to stir. It hissed softly, regarding the four with bright, glowing yellow eyes.

Taka began to tremble as he looked into those eyes. They seemed to hold him prisoner, boring into him and lighting up the darkest depths of his soul. This wasn't comforting in the least, as the illumination chilled him to the bone and caused shivers to travel up and down his spine. It took all of his will not to give into his innermost fears.

His hands became clammy and he loosened his grip on Guan. Relcia saw this and gently put her hand on his shoulder. This simple act caused the malevolent light to fade and the Gobul's eyes to dim. Taka felt brave again, and he silently assured himself, _This isn't __**that**__ Gobul. I killed it with my own hands. It's just your average flat, spiny, lantern-flashing Leviathan. You can do this, Taka. You can show this ugly pufferfish who's boss!_

With a determined yell, uttered mostly to cover up his earlier fear, Taka thrust Guan at the Gobul, catching its attention. While its head swung his way, Elric ran up to its side and began to charge his Shock Sword. If the Leviathan noticed him, it couldn't do a thing about it as Mylie peppered it with Flaming Shots. The burning impacts caused it to hesitate a second too long, and Elric's fully-charged, electricity-infused weapon crashed into its side.

The Gobul roared in pain as the volts shot through it in less than an instant. Relcia attacked its fins with her Wolf Tessen, slashing over and over again until it stumbled and fell on its back. Now it was in trouble - it's back was too flat, and its fins too short, for it to flip right-side up again. As one, the four humans attacked, weapons primed and ready to end this battle.

All of a sudden, the Gobul stopped flailing around in a panic. With ridiculous calm, it puffed up its back and simply rolled back onto its feet. It easily repelled both Taka and Elric with its tail, and at the same time gnashed its teeth at Relcia and Mylie, driving them back.

For some odd reason, Taka began to get angry. The memories of the first Gobul he had encountered, way back in the Arena Terra, flooded his head. The Vengeful Gobul had not only nearly killed him; it had bitten off his arm and Illeera's leg, it had shown the most frightening hatred towards him and him alone, and not only that... It had invaded his village, eaten his mother, and severely injured his father - all only seconds after he had been born.

His rage grew and grew as the memories seemed to taunt him, floating around and around his brain. Before he knew it, he had become a creature known only to him from books - a Teostra. The immense lion-like Elder Dragon screamed in anger as flames began to leap up around him - it was as if Taka's anger was causing everything around him to burn.

Through the haze of fire and fog, Relcia, Elric, and Mylie beheld an incredible sight - a once-extinct monster dueling the hated Leviathan. Smoke began to rise, making them all choke. The entire glade began to waver as the sheer heat disturbed the air.

Taka lunged at the Gobul, snapping his fangs menacingly. Surprisingly quickly, the Gobul dodged his attack, only to be hit with his tail as the Elder Dragon pivoted on the spot. Growling, it sparked its lantern, preparing to blind him. But Taka was ready for this, and simply shielded his eyes with a paw.

The battle ground on, with both sides sustaining minor injuries. Finally, backed into a corner by the monstrous fish, Taka desperately swiped with his razor-sharp claw. The claw, by chance, raked across the Gobul's eye, half-blinding it.

The Leviathan, weeping blood and tears from its injured eye, finally had enough. It burrowed into the mud and escaped, too quickly for the enraged Taka to pursue. With difficulty, he forced his anger down and became himself again.

Elric whispered, "What... _was_ that?" Mylie could only shake her head and reply, "I wish I knew." Relcia was about to say something as well, when a voice rang out into the decimated swamp. "I can tell you what it was." the voice said. "It was the one who will, supposedly, save us all."

A person appeared from the flickering fires and now-strengthening mist. He wore Nargacuga armor and carried only a small Sword and Shield. Mylie, Relcia, and Taka simply stared at the stranger. Elric, however, twisted his face into an expression of mixed shock and fury.

"Tartu!" he snarled. "WHAT are you doing here?!" The person known as Tartu simply shook a finger at the blacksmith. "Elric," he said in a voice that sounded like he was talking to a stupid child, "I was banished from Canyon Village. Not the region entirely. I can do what I want here." Taka let out an involuntary gasp. _This is the exiled seer from Canyon Village?_ he thought.

Tartu glanced at Taka dismissively. "I see you've heard of me, Thunder," he said, sounding bored. "Most likely lies." Before Mylie could ask a question, he interrupted, "Yes, Ice, I am referring to you by your elemental names because not only can I tell which element you three are, but I also do not know your real names. And do not care."

Taka disliked him more and more with every word out of his mouth. "Would you like to tell us why you were exiled?" he asked through gritted teeth. "I assume it wasn't because of your attitude, however likely it might be." Tartu sighed exaggeratedly, but answered the question.

It seemed like the seer had been banished for predicting the appearance of a feared Elder Dragon _called_ Renalimas. Apparently, the appearance of this monster meant extreme misfortune, and the name itself was banned from being uttered. He had also predicted the arrival of Taka and his friends, which was why Tenris, Elric, and the Chieftain had been expecting them.

He also explained that he didn't believe the prophecy, the one that said that Taka would end the monster/human war in the Central World. "Before you say anything," he said abruptly. "I know that this has already happened - but there is more to this prophecy. Supposedly, Thunder will stop the war entirely. As in, stop the war in _every_ region." Tartu sniffed when he said this.

Elric looked about ready to slice Tartu in half with his Great Sword, but Relcia stepped in front of him. "Don't do anything stupid," she cautioned. "We don't have to listen to him anymore. Let's just continue on our way." Tartu snickered from the sidelines. "It doesn't matter how much you try to avoid me, Water," he said teasingly. "Fate has decreed that we will meet again... Many, many times, in fact."

The group wandered off, deeper into the Murky Bog. Tartu laughed quietly to himself. _And when that happens, the Renalimas will appear... And my plans will begin in earnest._

-.-.-.-.-.

**How's that for intrigue?**

**The next chapter will be up when I feel like it. Please review!**

**TRIVIA: Renalimas' name comes from two Latin words meaning "great" and "misfortune".**


	6. The Vengeful Gobul II

**Sorry I left this so late. I just got MH3U, and I'm currently doing a playthrough of the game, which I've been posting on Youtube. My username is Cottonmouth255, if you want to watch it.**

**Also, there are two new monsters introduced in this chapter, which I have posted on Deviantart.**

-.-.-.-.-.

The two groups of hunters reunited shortly after the episode with Tartu. Elric's party met up with Tenris's party in the Murky Bog on their way back to Canyon Village. Lauren, who had been at the Great Mountain with Illeera and the others, was also there, and she clung to Taka like a burr when she saw him again. "It was horrible, meow!" she kept saying to him, over and over. "The furr-eezing cold... the biting wind... and the monsters, nya! A white Duramboros almost squashed me into a pancake!"

As much as Taka's natural curiosity was piqued (_A white Duramboros? How I'd love to see that with my own eyes..._he thought), he had to admit to himself there were other, more important things, to be told. Along with Elric, he told Tenris, Illeera, Taahnn, and Lauren about their meeting with Tartu earlier. Tenris's reaction was nothing like Elric's when she heard this.

"So," she said calmly. "Tartu shows his face once again. I kind of expected him to show it sooner." Elric was taken aback at this news. "WHAT? What do you mean?" he demanded. Tenris sighed and replied wearily, "Tartu said it himself - he was banished from the village, not the entire region. He's perfectly entitled to travel wherever he wishes." Her brother ground his teeth but said nothing.

"What was this about Renalimas?" Taahnn said, confused. "I still don't really understand." Grudgingly, Elric explained to him about the legendary Elder Dragon while the others muttered to each other.

"He said that fate would ensure that we'd meet again," Mylie said. "That means we'll run into him again sometime soon. But where? And why?" Tenris shook her head. "You can't question fate. That's something Tartu used to say all the time. Unfortunately, he's right." Lauren shivered slightly. "This doesn't sound good, nya," she moaned. "Not good at all."

Taka thought that perhaps Lauren didn't know how true her words really were.

-.-.-.-.-.

Taka wandered deeper into the Murky Bog. The others had left for Canyon Village, and he had decided to stay behind. At first, everyone had worried for his safety, but he assured them that he'd be able to find his way back on his own. And anyway, his shapeshifting abilites would keep him safe enough.

He was deep in thought, replaying the conversation with Tartu in his head. The seer had spoken of Renalimas with a weird tone - something like anticipation, as if he had been waiting for years for the Elder Dragon to appear. _What could that mean?_ Taka wondered.

Suddenly, a noise from up ahead startled him out of his thoughts. Taka crouched instictively, hiding himself in the foliage. Silently creeping up to a clearing he saw just ahead of him, he cautiously peeked out from the ferns. His eyes widened at the sight before him.

A huge Bird Wyvern stood knee-deep in a muddy pool of water. It was a white-grey color, with a long, orange beak and blue wing membranes. It had a set of long tail feathers as well as an elongated crest on its head. The creature was stabbing repeatedly at the water for some reason.

Before Taka could get a better look at the strange monster, it abruptly swiveled its head in his direction. _I see you in there,_ it squawked after a moment. _You might as well come out. There's no point in hiding._ Ready to draw his Longsword at a moment's notice, Taka slowly got to his feet and stepped out of the bushes.

"I mean you no harm," Taka said quietly, yet loudly enough for the wyvern to hear. "I was just passing through." The Bird Wyvern made a noise that sounded like a squawk of laughter. _I understand. I wasn't going to attack you, if that's what you were thinking. I know who you are, by the way. You're the shapeshifter spoken of in legends._

Taka became curious. "That legend is told here too? Not just in the Central World?" The Bird Wyvern exclaimed, _Of course not! All of us monsters, no matter if we're from Moga or the Central World or even the Great Frontier, want the war to end. And you're our only hope._ Taka began to relax - this monster wasn't hostile. In fact, it seemed positively friendly.

"May I enquire as to what type of monster you are?" Taka asked as politely as he could. "I've never seen a wyvern like you in the Central World." The heron-like creature cocked its head to the side, as if making a decision, then nodded to itself.

_Of course you haven't,_ it chuckled. _My species, as far as I know, is found only here. I am a Moardea, a type of fish-eating Bird Wyvern. My closest relative you may be familiar with - the Qurupeco._ Taka was indeed familiar with that particular monster. Besides wearing armor made with its feathers, he had killed one once, in the Arena Terra a year ago.

"I'm Taka," he introduced himself. "Do you have a name?" The Moardea nodded once. _My name is Helix. Pleased to meet you._ Taka smiled to himself. Having a friendly chat with a monster always excited him, even though he'd been talking with monsters for quite a long time.

Helix and Taka continued to talk. When Helix had finished describing her species, she became quite curious about the monsters that Taka had encountered. So he told her about the bear-like Arzuros and the ferocious Monoblos, among other monsters. Taka also discovered during this period that wyverns such as Tigrex and Zinogre could be found here in the Mysterious Beyond.

A sudden rustling in the undergrowth behind them disturbed their talk. Taka whipped around, his hand on Guan's handle. Helix became wary, worried that the commotion was caused by a larger wyvern. Both waited, prepared to act as soon as the unknown creature showed itself.

They didn't have long to wait; a massive black monster burst out of the foliage, claws swinging and tail lashing. It looked like a huge scorpion, with four spindly legs and a hard carapace. One of its claws resembled a regular pincer, while the other looked more like a mallet studded with glowing, blue... things. Its tail was covered with more, along with a gigantic yellow one at the end instead of a stinger. It crackled with electricity as the beast hissed threateningly.

Before Taka could whip out his weapon and strike, Helix stopped him with an outstretched wing. _Not so hasty, Taka,_ she cautioned. _This here is my good friend, Dronk the Thondriun._ The Thondriun stopped and took a closer look at Helix.

_Could that honestly be youse, Helix?_ Dronk spoke with a weird accent, and his voice was a clicking, chittering sound. _Haven't seen youse in ages. And when I saw this human here... _He trailed off and looked at Taka intently. _Do I know youse, by any chance?_

Hesitantly, Taka replied, "Well, we've obviously never met, but I'm that shapeshifter that you've -" Dronk cut him off before he could continue. _No, it's not that, _he replied with a laugh. _Even though I have heard the legends. I recognize youse from the fight with that Gobul. Youse friends, and youself for that matter, fought pretty damn well._

"You were there, Dronk?" Taka asked in surprise. He nodded his horned head, and the glowing studs on his left claw hummed quietly with electrical power. _Yeah, and that was quite a spectacle,_ the Thondriun said good-naturedly. _The sparks were really flyin', I can tell youse that. But I left when that Tartu fellow arrived._

Helix stiffened at his words. _Tartu is here again?_ she asked worriedly. When Dronk nodded again, her voice turned into a near growl for a Bird Wyvern. _I've never liked that mystic. Creeps me out every time I see him._ Taka looked from one monster to the other as Dronk responded acidly, _Walkin' around like he owns the Murky Bog himself. I can't wait to see the end of him._

Taka interrupted Helix before she started talking again. "Wait, you two know Tartu?" The Moardea angrily pecked at an insect that had landed on her wing. _Of course we do. He came to the Murky Bog right after he was exiled. And he's plotting something._ Taka cocked his head slightly. "What, exactly?"

_No one knows what, exactly,_ hissed Dronk. _And that's not even the worst of it. He can see the future, as youse well know, and that means he knows precisely what he has to do in order to achieve his goal._ He paused before adding,_Before youse ask, I don't have a clue as to what that might be._

"Hmm," was all that Taka said. After a brief pause, he asked, "Do you know if Tartu's been anywhere else, other than the Murky Bog?" Helix almost immediately answered, _Yes. We know he's been lurking around in the Sandstone Desert, near the ravine. We think that he's on the lookout for his precious Elder Dragon._

Dronk shivered. _Don't bring that foul creature up again,_ he said quietly. _If it appears, it'll be bad for both humans and monsters all over._ Taka was once again confused. "'Precious' Elder Dragon?" he asked Helix. Her answer was:_We know from the humans of Canyon Village that Tartu greatly reveres Renalimas, almost admires it._

_I personally think that his plans have something to do with Renalimas, _offered Dronk with a little hesitation. _It can't be a coincidence that he starts plannin' almost as soon as he was banished, especially since his prediction caused his exile. Between youse and me, when Renalimas appears, Tartu will have a grand old time puttin' whatever he's planning into motion._

None of this bode well for Taka. The two monsters seemed to know a lot about Tartu (_Probably because he's often lurking around this neck of the woods_, he thought privately), and what they were saying put him on edge. Not to mention the fact that it seemed inevitable that this mysterious Elder Dragon would appear in the Mysterious Beyond.

"Well, it was nice knowing the two of you," said Taka, preparing to take his leave. "Put I really must be going. My friends will be expecting me." Both the Moardea and the Thondriun nodded graciously. _Of course. Goodbye, Taka,_said Helix. _Be seeing youse,_ muttered Dronk. _If the legend is true and youse did end the war in the Central World - then try and stop Tartu before he does something that'll doom us all, will youse?_

Taka smiled encouragingly. "I'll try, Dronk," he said in what he hoped was a confident voice. "Farewell, the both of you."

-.-.-.-.-.

The ferns rustled and dead branches snapped as the Gobul staggered onwards. Its wounds still wept tears of blood, and it could barely see where it was going. It needed to find a hiding place, and fast, before it encountered a larger monster. A good-sized Nargacuga or Steramir would definitely kill it in this condition.

The Gobul noticed that there was an opening in the trees ahead of it. Beyond was a deep cavern. It eagerly galloped towards it, looking forward to some well-deserved rest. It had been a very bad day for this particular Gobul.

First, it had woken up to find its favorite hunting ground devoid of prey; courtesy of a large Plesioth that had either chased away or eaten everything. Next, it had been harried by a flock of Remobra until it finally ate one that got too close, scaring the rest off. It had never dined on Remobra before, and the Gobul found that it hated it - too bony, and what meat it could salvage from the carcass was chewy and tasteless.

And finally, a group of hunters - and one in particular - had severely injured it. It remembered the terrifying beast that the one hunter had turned into, and shuddered at the memory of its dagger-like claws ripping at it. How that puny human had managed to do such a thing, the Gobul would never learn.

The Leviathan settled onto the floor of the pleasantly damp cave and closed its eyes, but sleep eluded it. All the Gobul could think of was the human that had maimed it. The image of the feather-clad being filled its mind, and the Gobul tossed its head as if trying to shake off the memory. And with the image came something else - anger that, while small at first, grew and grew until it was nearly overwhelming.

The Gobul had never hated anything before, but it instinctively knew that hatred was what it felt. _That human must die,_ it seethed. _As soon as I heal... I will hunt him down._

-.-.-.-.-.

**Another Vengeful Gobul, huh? Taka's making a habit out of angering these monsters...**

**Review please, and I'll see you all soon.**

**TRIVIA: Dronk's unusual manner of speaking is based off of Trank's speech pattern from the Shark Wars series.**


	7. Elder Dragon Off Cratered Island

**Here I am again, with yet another chapter for MHDC.**

**We also introduce another new monster, which will be up on Deviantart soon.**

-.-.-.-.-.

Taka emerged from the Desert Ravine and into Canyon Village. It was the middle of the afternoon, and he was sweating profusely from his journey through the ravine. He had passed through a watery cavern full of hot, steaming pools of water that made the cave extremely humid. Then the rest of the journey had been freezing in comparison. Taka sighed in relief as he entered the sun-warmed village.

There was more activity than usual in the village. Taka idly wondered why - the buildings were all intact, so a monster couldn't have attacked. Suddenly, Lauren was there, clawing at Taka's legs in excitement. "Big news, meow!" she said hurriedly. "The others are waiting to tell you, nya!" She scampered off, leading a puzzled Taka to the center of the village.

He came to an excited group consisting of his friends, the Chief, and Tenris and Elric. "What's going on?" he asked, perplexed. Everyone turned toward him as one. Mylie was the first to speak. "It's exciting!" she exclaimed. "I've never thought we'd have the luck to see one alive!"

Taka was even more perplexed than he was a few seconds ago. He felt like he had walked into one of the Village Elder's stories in the middle. "What's alive? What's exciting? Would someone _please_ explain to me what is going on?"

Finally, Relcia stepped forward. "It's amazing," she said in a voice hushed with awe. "An Elder Dragon has appeared off the coast of a place called Cratered Island." Taka's heart leapt. _An Elder Dragon!_ he thought, instantly jubilant._What were the odds? I thought they were all extinct!_ Then, he corrected himself on that thought. After all, he had seen an Elder Dragon a year ago - the Sky God, Taltaira. _But then again, you don't see an Elder Dragon every day! Or even every month! _It seemed that Relcia knew how happy he was, because she smiled.

The Chief stepped forward to explain this event to everyone. "Elder Dragons are by no means extinct, like you people of the Central World believe," she began. "After all, the Central World is not the entire universe. This Elder Dragon is an aquatic monster called the Lumidusa. This in itself is odd, since Lumidusa are parasites and often dwell within the body of a much larger Dragon.

"We sent for an airship from North Port - the region's most populous trade city - for a group of six to travel to Cratered Island and observe this rare creature. Tenris and Elric both want to go, so which of you want to go with them?"

Four of them volunteered. Mylie offered to stay behind. "Like you said, only a group of six can go. And anyway, with Elric gone, someone needs to take over the smithy, and I have some experience with that." The Chief nodded. "Very well," she confirmed. "The six of you will go to Cratered Island as soon as the airship arrives. Mylie and I will stay."

-.-.-.-.-.

After a two-hour journey, the gang was over Cratered Island, on the other side of the Mysterious Beyond. A massive volcano, even bigger than Magma Mountain, spewed smoke and ash, and occasionally lava, into the sky. The landscape on the rest of the island was mostly barren, with small fields of grass and shrubs here and there.

"Our destination is the ocean beyond Cratered Island," yelled Elric over the noise of the wind. "Apparently, the Lumidusa was sighted there. As the Chieftain mentioned, they inhabit the bodies of larger Elder Dragons, and those Dragons generally live near the Abyssal Depths, which is far from here. Why a Lumidusa ended up here, without a host, is completely beyond my understanding."

Lauren had joined them, stowing away amongst their supplies (which consisted mostly of Mini Oxygen Supplies and Air Philters). Although there was some protest, Taka eventually convinced everyone else that Lauren, after all, stuck with him, and would be useful to them at some point. Lauren herself purred at his words, which for some reason pleased her.

They arrived at the designated spot for them to dive at. The airship lowered until it was about twenty feet above the sea. Illeera took one look over the side and asked rhetorically, "Anyone fancy a twenty-foot dive into the briny deep?" When no one answered, she added, "Didn't think so."

"How will we get down there safely?" Tenris asked. "The airship can't go any nearer to the waves." Taka grinned and replied, "Easy." Without another word, he had become an Azure Rathalos, an aerial predator that had some experience with water hunting.

There was really no need for anyone to guess what they were supposed to do. One by one, they clambered onto the Flying Wyvern's back and let him fly down to the surface. As Taka hovered patiently, they strapped oversized Oxygen Supplies to their backs and dove in. When everyone had disappeared beneath the waves, he turned into a Royal Ludroth and followed them.

The first thing he saw, after the rush of bubbles, was that the ocean here wasn't that deep - just a few dozen meters. There were numerous small rocks studding the seabed like some kind of rocky garden, and the side of Cratered Island was visible as a huge undersea cliff. Beams of sunlight illuminated the scene, adding to its serene beauty.

He quickly joined the rest, cruising alongside them as they explored the landscape (or, more accurately, _sea_scape). Tenris and Elric started at the sight of Taka's new form, with the yellow, spongy mane and finned tail. However, they knew instinctively that it was him. Illeera, Lauren, and the others had somewhat milder reactions.

Suddenly, the seabed dropped vertically, and that was the second thing Taka saw - a one hundred foot drop to the ocean floor. Looking at his friends, he realized that they'd never be able to go that deep. "Grab on!" he growled over his shoulder. "I'll help you reach the bottom!" They all grabbed on to him, and he dragged them down with strokes from his powerful tail.

They reached the sandy bottom after less than a minute. Inhaling Oxygen Supplies to help with the change in pressure, everyone let go of Taka and stepped onto the ground. There were no rocks here - it seemed as if the sand stretched on for miles, without any imprints or debris to mar its surface. It was dark, much darker than on the plateau above them, with the deep blue water quenching much of the light. The sheer desolation of the scene unnerved Taka.

Still, something made his reptilian face stretch downwards in a frown. Somehow, despite looking uninhabited, Taka knew that they weren't alone here. He saw something move in the water in the near distance, something almost invisible. Only the keen eyes of a Leviathan, used to seeing in dark water, would have spotted the unknown disturbance - none of Taka's friends, including Lauren, had detected anything yet.

With a flash of iridescent color, whatever it was suddenly burst into view. It had remained hidden in plain sight, but now shimmered as it floated just above the sandy earth only three dozen feet away. The group gasped in shock as one, and they instantly knew that the great, majestic creature in front of them was the object of their search.

The Lumidusa was a jellyfish-like creature, with a webbed, transparent body that glowed green and pink, lighting up the darkness easily. A single arm dangled from its bell, also glowing, but not as brightly. Four long tentacles extended from its top and trailed eerily behind it in the slight current that pushed it along. It was almost sixty meters tall - the size of the magnificent Ceadeus that Taka knew once haunted the watery depths of the Central World.

Although it had no mouth of any kind, a kind of mystic, sonic hum emanated from it. The constant, erethral sound soothed Taka somewhat. Combined with the beautiful neon colors it shined with, he felt hypnotized, and began to relax, drifting off into sleep.

He shook himself out of his stupor. _I shouldn't allow myself to let my guard down,_ he thought suddenly. _This creature, although stunning, is dangerous._ Just how dangerous the Lumidusa could be was revealed a moment later, when it killed a passing shark with a bolt of lighting from one of its tentacles. The sight shocked the group (although not as much as the fish!).

"Well, if we're going to observe, we might as well do it from this distance," said Taka. Taahnn bobbed his head to show that he had heard, followed by the rest. They all got down on their stomachs, trying to make themselves as unnoticeable as possible, but too later - a change in the Lumidusa's hum indicated that it had detected their presence. Slowly, it began to move toward them.

"Too late," Taka muttered, changing into a Lagiacrus in preparation for combat. Elric and Tenris both flinched at the sudden transformation, then focused on the great Elder Dragon, which had covered a lot of ground surprisingly quickly. When the Lumidusa had come within striking distance, everyone drew their weapons as one.

Illeera struck first, firing a multitude of arrows from her Sonic Bow IV. The projectiles slammed one after the other into the Dragon's soft body, and it seemed to flinch. Its hum became a squeak of pain.

Taahnn and Elric went next, with the former playing notes on his Volcanic Rock, and the latter slashing at it clumsily with his Khezu Shock Sword. Growing used to the pain, the Lumidusa began to recover, and it lashed out with a tentacle. It swiped through the water easily, narrowly missing Taahnn.

Tenris hacked at the limb with repeated strikes of her Qurupeco Chopper. The tendril spasmed for a moment, then a powerful current of electricity ran through it, badly hurting Tenris. She chewed up a Stormsender Seed as fast as she could in order to nullify the damage.

Obviously, Taka hadn't been sleeping through this. Although he knew that the Lumidusa was likely to be resistant against Thunder-element attacks, that didn't stop him from firing blasts of lightning at it, hoping to catch its attention. He succeeded, as it angrily whipped a tentacle at him, this one sparking with high voltage. The Elder Dragon underestimated Taka's speed while in his Lagiacrus form, however - the attack was easily dodged.

The Lumidusa became even more enraged. Its low hum changed to a high-pitched screech that disabled the entire party. Its tentacles sparked with electricity - then, with terrified realization, Taka saw the sparks turn red. _The Dragon element,_ he thought grimly, trying to fight back his fright. _We need to escape to the surface before the Lumidusa annhilates us all._

Before he could say this out loud, the Elder Dragon suddenly stopped shrieking, becoming totally quiet for the first time during the battle. It slowly opened up its bell until it had turned completely flat. Then, the Lumidusa began to spin, slowly at first, humming quietly as it did so. As it spun, it picked up speed, whirling faster and faster and humming louder and louder. Within a few seconds, it had created a vast undersea tornado that reeled in anything in the vicinity.

Taka and his friends felt the pull of the current the Lumidusa was creating and desperately tried to escape it. As they were sucked toward the maelstrom, Taka looked back at it and cried out - Lumidusa's tentacles were sending out bolts of crimson energy that whirled around with it!

Just before they struck the glowing vortex of water and lightning, the Lumidusa's stamina apparently wore out. In its effort to destroy the pesky humans, it had used up too much energy, and now it started to slow down. When the Elder Dragon had stopped spinning completely, Taka didn't hesitate.

"GO! GO!" he roared at the top of his voice. "Let's get out of here, while it's too tired to move!" Instantly, the group headed for the surface, swimming as fast as they could.

Being more agile than the others in his Leviathan form, Taka sped past them. Taahnn grabbed onto one of the spines on his back, Relcia and Elric held onto his tail, and the others held tight to his legs. Lauren, whose Oxygen Supply was beginning to wear out, stopped out of exhaustion. Spotting her from the corner of his eye, Taka scooped her up in his jaws.

They were making good time - they had already made it halfway to the plateau that they had traversed earlier. Taka sped up, and then realization burst into his head. _Tenris!_ his mind screamed. _I forgot Tenris!_ As if to confirm this, he suddenly caught sight of Tenris struggling to keep up with them, far below.

Mind racing, Taka snapped his serpentine body like a whip, causing everyone to fly off of him. "Get to the airship!" he commanded, voice high with growing panic. "I'll be right behind you!" If anyone had arguments, they were cut off by the sudden realization that Tenris was in trouble (as well as the fact that they couldn't talk underwater). They scattered and headed for the surface.

Taka immediately dove, rapidly heading for Tenris. He saw that she was growing tired from her panicked swimming, and to make matters worse, he saw the Lumidusa floating up toward them from the depths. As it drew closer, its ominous hum once again entered Taka's head.

About to grab Tenris, Taka suddenly stopped dead as he saw a wave of pink light billow out from the monster's body. Instinctively, he fled as the light flowed outward in all directions. Fifty feet from the Lumidusa's bell, the light ceased. Glancing back and seeing that it had faded, Taka sped toward Tenris once more. She was limp - the deadly light had lulled her to sleep.

With one snap of his jaws, he caught the girl. In one sinuous motion of his flexible body, Taka swam for the surface with all due speed. In his heart, he knew that the Lumidusa wouldn't follow - it would stay in deeper water where the pressure was more comfortable to it. The soft glow of the Elder Dragon was soon swallowed by the deep, dark ocean as he continued to rise.

Finally, after what seemed like an age, Taka broke the surface. The shock of going from water to air instantly woke Tenris. She spluttered and coughed before coming to her senses. From the airship, someone threw down a rope ladder. With Taka's help, she grabbed the rungs and climbed up to safety. Shifting once again into his human form, Taka followed her up.

When they had both reached the top, they collapsed from fatigue. Taka recovered first, standing up on shaky legs - he still had to get used to having something solid under his feet. "We... are not... doing that... again..." he panted, sucking breath after breath of the sweet, fresh air into his lungs. Lauren danced around him, meowing. She was happy that he was all right, to be sure.

Tenris regained her energy soon enough. As the airship flew back towards Canyon Village, she got up and hugged Taka tightly. "You saved my life," she murmured gratefully. "Thank you, Taka." He carefully extracted himself from her grasp and cast a nervous glance at Relcia, who smiled as if to say, _It's fine._

The eight friends slept through the entire trip. They had experienced enough adventure for one day.

-.-.-.-.-.

**I just want to throw this out there - this is my least favorite installment in the MHD trilogy. However, it does set you up for the last installment.**

**See you all soon, and please review.**

**TRIVIA: The original concept for Lumidusa was a giant squid-like monster. But I like the jellyfish idea much better.**


	8. Necrocula Against the Love of Mylie

**Yay, another chapter, this one with a bit of suspense in store for you all.**

**Also, another of my OC monsters makes an appearance, and it'll be up on Deviantart with the others real soon.**

-.-.-.-.-.

Tartu walked steadily across the Sandstone Desert. It was almost twilight, and already the sun-heated sands had begun to cool down. As he walked, he scanned the darkening sky for some sign of the Elder Dragon he was anticipating. _Any day now,_ he thought, almost giddy with excitement. _Renalimas will appear, and I will use its immense power for my own purposes._ A new spring in his step, Tartu continued across the sandy terrain.

For some reason, he was reminded of the group he had met in the Murky Bog not too long ago. _Fire, Water, Thunder, Ice, and Dragon,_ he chuckled to himself. _Most likely, they will try to stop me when I initiate my plan. Bad choice on their part._ He started to think deeply about the five of them, most of all Mylie. For a reason that eluded him, he found her quite fascinating.

He stopped to sharpen his Sword and Shield, a thin blade accompanied by an equally thin, but sturdy, shield. It was made from Thondriun parts. As he bent down and reached for a Whetstone in his item pouch, he heard a guttural roar from somewhere in the distance. Tartu checked the horizon and saw that the sun was almost completely down. _That would mean..._ he thought, keeping even his thoughts to a whisper. Then a tiny smile crept across his face. _Oh no. Not now._

A scream punctured the otherwise still silence. The roar came again, this time rising to a screech that blasted through Tartu's mind. He winced at the pain, then started to run. _Someone's in trouble,_ he realized. _Ordinarily, I wouldn't care... But I have a bad feeling about this._

-.-.-.-.-.

Mylie walked through the caverns in the Desert Ravine. Her friends had come back to Canyon Village, soaked and exhausted. Elric, who came over to take over the smithy once again, had told her everything that had happened - the Lumidusa, the brief but epic battle that had ensued, and Taka saving Elric's sister's life. Then, Mylie had decided to go on a little walk through the Desert Ravine.

Eventually, she began to wistfully think of Mediatas Village. She was homesick, and had been for a few days. Mylie wondered when Vulcan would return to take them back to the Central World.

Then, she began to dwell on something that had bothered her for a whole year - her inability to talk to and understand the monsters. _Why can't I understand?_ she asked herself as she had done before many times. _Everyone else claims that it came naturally... So why doesn't it come to me in the same way?_

She was jealous of everyone else, that was for sure. She was the first one to admit that - she didn't hide her feelings like some other people. But she also knew that she shouldn't become envious of her friends, or else they wouldn't be her friends anymore. Troubled, Mylie headed for a dim light in the otherwise dark cave, knowing that it led into the Sandstone Desert.

"Mylie!" called a voice from behind her. Mylie turned and saw Tenris approaching. "Tenris!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

Trying to catch her breath, Tenris said, "I saw... you were going... into the... Ravine. I remembered... I have a... request... for you." Mylie cocked her head and gestured for her to go on.

"I need Cactus Flowers," explained Tenris. "They're used here in various medicenes, and, well, Canyon Village is all out. Could you go into the desert and get some?"

Mylie grinned and nodded. "Of course!" she replied, and Tenris looked relieved. "Thank goodness! I was beginning to think that no-one would take my request!" She paused and continued. "I know a great place to find Cactus Flowers - just head north from the exit just up ahead of you. Near the oasis, there's a huge cactus patch where you can gather as many as you can."

With a short good-bye, both girls once again went their separate ways. Mylie resumed walking, headed for the exit in the near distance.

She didn't notice the monster that stirred in its sleep as she passed by. She didn't even notice when it yawned and cast its echoes around, looking for the disturbance. And she didn't notice as the unknown creature began to crawl after her, following the sound of Mylie's footsteps.

-.-.-.-.-.

Mylie got up and stretched her aching back. She had been gathering Cactus Flowers for the past twenty minutes, and, needless to say, she needed some rest. She looked up at the sky - twilight was approaching. Already, the temperature had started to drop, and she could feel her ingested Cool Drink working against her. Shivering, she got out one of her Hot Drinks.

Swallowing part of it, Mylie immediately felt better. She glanced at the patch of cacti, which still sported tons of flowers. _I guess as long as I'm here, I'll gather more, _she thought. _Then Tenris or her brother won't run out for a while longer._ That decided, she crouched down to resume picking the vibrant, pink flowers.

Finally, Mylie's item pouch was full, and she couldn't carry any more Cactus Flowers. "OK then," she said to herself. "Time to get these to Canyon Village -"

A shadow suddenly passed over the ground, cutting off her speech. Mylie looked up instinctively, but didn't see anything. Shrugging, but reaching for her Agnablaster just in case, she continued onwards, back towards the Desert Ravine.

She didn't see anything else suspicious until she saw the Ravine on the horizon. Then, her ears picked up a faint noise. If there had been any other noise in the background, Mylie wouldn't have heard it. It sounded suspiciously like a screech, and was getting louder and louder, as if... As if something were closing in on her.

Whirling around, Mylie's eyes widened - a huge, bat-like monster was flying close to the ground at an impossible speed, headed right for her! Diving out of the way, she hit the ground hard and heard the beast land clumsily on its feet.

As Mylie got up, its horrible head swung her way. She now saw that dense fur covered its face, rendering it completely blind. Its massive ears twitched constantly as it detected her footsteps crunching on the sand.

It gave a loud, growling roar that sounded nothing like what she was expecting. The beast lunged, jaws wide open, wings flapping madly. Mylie screamed at the sudden attack and dodged. Its razor-sharp teeth missed by a hair.

Mylie already had Pierce Shots loaded in her Agnablaster, so she reached for the firing mechanism and blasted away without mercy. The sharp-edged ammo repeatedly slashed the monster's side, and it didn't bode well to the pain. Aiming in the direction of the noise and pain, it gave a mind-ripping screech that was shot out of its mouth like a projectile.

If it had hit Mylie, the sheer sound would have stunned her badly, allowing the mysterious beast to finish her. However, it missed, but it bounced off of a nearby boulder and headed for her again.

Noticing the blast too late, Mylie braced herself - and the echo exploded in a burst of sound as it hit the shield that had appeared out of nowhere. "Tartu!" she gasped.

"Beware!" he shouted over the monster's frustrated growls. "The Necrocula's sonics cause echoes!" The monster, apparently called a Necrocula, heard Tartu's voice and seemed to recognize it. It growled in annoyance and leapt into the air, planning to crush him with its bulk.

Tartu quickly avoided it, and the Necrocula landed with a crash, throwing up a huge cloud of sand. Undeterred by the obscuring cloud, it shot three more echo blasts in the direction of his footsteps. He blocked all three, but the effort drained his stamina, causing him to become exhausted.

Before the Necrocula could end his life right then and there, Mylie sprang to his defence, pelting it with more Pierce Shots. The sudden, stinging impacts caused the Necrocula to slip right as it lunged, sending it face-first into the sand. It got up surprisingly quickly, and, looking around wildly, rose into the air and spat another three echoes at the ground, which all threw up massive curtains of sand. Mylie and Tartu were blinded, but unlike the Necrocula, they didn't have echolocation to help them see.

The bat plunged down from the sky, ready to finish them off in one fell swoop. Blind and desperate, Tartu threw a Sonic Bomb, which exploded with a deafening sonic tone. The Necrocula shrieked in pain and plummeted, landing on its back and flailing around in a panicked manner. Tartu ran to finish it off, but its wing claw caught him and tore through the sleeve of his Nargacuga armor. With a gasp of pain, he was flung to the ground.

Getting up cautiously and shaking its head in order to clear the noise that was still ringing in its ears, the Necrocula flapped into the air and dove, throwing out its talons and snagging Tartu in them. He yelled in fear as he noticed the creature's salivating jaws just above him.

The Necrocula's jaws rushed toward him, and he closed his eyes, waiting for the end - and nothing happened. He heard a dull thud, and he opened his eyes. Tartu flinched at the sight of its jaws, mere inches from his face. The Necrocula was so close he could see the saliva glistening on its fangs.

It seemed as if the monster was frozen. Then, with a squeak, it fell, unconscious, onto the sandy earth with one final impact.

Mylie caught her breath, holding her Agnablaster like a mace. She had used the blunt end of it to whack the Necrocula in the head, stunning it into unconsciousness. Putting it away, she looked up in time to witness Tartu getting up and sheathing his sword.

"You saved me, Ice," he said in wonder. She gave him a dismissive shrug. "You saved me from the monster's blast," Mylie said simply. "I was only returning the favor." Tartu simply stared at her.

"How did that Sonic Bomb affect it that way?" Mylie asked, genuinely curious. "I've never seen any monster act that way, no matter how big their ears were." Tartu looked at the motionless Necrocula and sniffed. "Necrocula constantly sing out sonic pulses in order to navigate their surroundings," he explained. "When I threw that Sonic Bomb, the sound waves interfered with its echoes and caused it to become disoriented."

Now it was Mylie's turn to stare at him. Their eyes met for a second, and she felt... weird. It was almost as if her heart was fluttering. She hadn't felt anything like that since her beloved Hornt had died in the Arena Terra a year ago.

"How's your arm?" she asked, concerned by the way Tartu's arm hung limply, streaked with blood. "It's fine," he murmured. "But I have something to ask of you, Ice..." Before he could continue, Mylie interrupted, "Is it OK if you just call me Mylie? I'm a little uncomfortable at being called 'Ice'."

Nodding in recognition, Tartu pressed on. "You have great potential, I - Mylie. You can control one of the five elements. But you need practice." He paused to let this sink in. He then said, "I can help you learn how to control it, if you'd like - but I need you to help me in return. I need you to help me with my plan."

Mylie considered. What Tartu was offering was a chance to do something the others couldn't do. As she had noted before, she was clearly envious of the way the others could talk to monsters. Now, she'd be able to use a talent that she was sure her friends couldn't master. And helping Tartu for a little bit couldn't be a bad thing, could it?

"All right then," she said with a smile. "I'll help." Tartu smiled back, with a combination of relief and happiness. "Thanks, Mylie," he replied. "There's no way I could succeed without your help."

The sun had now completely set, and stars were breaking out all over. "There's nothing quite like the Sandstone Desert at night," Tartu commented wistfully. Mylie shivered and took another gulp of Hot Drink. _Temperatures change too quickly in the desert,_ she thought.

Suddenly, with a huge shriek, the sleeping Necrocula woke up. Tartu drew his weapon, and Mylie instinctively grabbed his arm in fear. Giving them a dismissive glance, the Necrocula growled deep in its throat and flapped off, toward the Desert Ravine.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Mylie loosened her grip on Tartu's arm as he sheathed his sword. He smiled slightly at her, making her blush and look away. "Come on," he said quietly. "We have preparations to make. The Renalimas will soon appear, and we must be ready." Strangely, the name of the Elder Dragon no longer unnerved Mylie. Instead, it made her feel at peace, as if she knew that it would be the answer to all of her problems.

Tartu silently led Mylie toward their next destination. They held hands the entire way.

-.-.-.-.-.

**What'll Taka and the rest do once they find out Mylie's allied herself with the exiled seer? How will they react when they discover that she's helping prepare for Renalimas' appearance?**

**You can find out in the next chapter, but in the meantime, wait patiently and please review.**

**TRIVIA: Necrocula's name comes from the Greek word for death, as well as the name of a certain Transylvanian count.**


	9. Tartu's Darkest Secret

**Here's the next chapter. It's short, but explains much about the story.**

-.-.-.-.-.

Taka was beginning to grow worried. The sun had set five minutes ago, and Mylie was not yet back safely in Canyon Village. He paced nervously in front of the entrance to the Desert Ravine, hoping that she'd show herself soon.

He turned in response to a soft noise behind him. He saw Relcia and the others walking toward him, their faces showing that they were just as worried as he was. He rapidly closed the short distance between them and stood there with a stoic expression.

"Mylie's been out there for a while now," said Illeera. "I hope she's all right." Taahnn looked nervous as he said, "I know that the war's over and everything, but what if she encounters a monster like that Pariapuria? What if it's out looking for easy prey, and since she can't speak the monster language..." His voice trailed off at that point.

Tenris stepped forth. "I sent her out there looking for Cactus Flowers," she said, clearly guilt-ridden. "What if something happens to her, like Taahnn said? Then it'll be all my fault..." Elric tried to encourage her, but it didn't do much good.

Relcia looked concernedly at Taka. "What should we do?" she asked him. Taka took a long time to answer - he had never liked the concept of being a leader. He had led them well enough during the battle with the Taltaira, but that was really the only time he had done so.

"If she isn't back within ten minutes, we'll send out a search party," Taka finally said with all the confidence he could muster. There were nods all around. He continued, "I doubt that Mylie is in any danger, because with the war over, it's unlikely that a monster would attack for no reason."

A shadow passed over the ground. Taka looked up and gasped as he saw a huge, winged shape descending from the sky. Tenris breathed, "Necrocula... A Necrocula is landing in the village!" Everyone drew their weapons, except for Taka. He wanted to know what was going on. This was obviously not a common occurrence.

The Necrocula landed, almost immediately spotting Taka advancing upon it. Surprisingly, it made no move to attack - instead, it assumed a non-hostile pose, wings held tightly against its sides and head bowed. _You are he? _it asked tentatively. Taka knew that it was talking to him. _The shapeshifter of which the other monsters speak?_

"Yes," said Taka quietly. "I am Taka, the shapeshifter. What is going on? Why are you here?" Even though the Necrocula's eyes were completely covered by dense fur, Taka could tell that it was looking at him, almost with sadness.

_It is Tartu,_ the beast growled simply. _I saw him wandering the Sandstone Desert. But that was after I met the other hunter._ Taka felt his blood run cold. "What other hunter?" he demanded, then lowered his voice again. "What other hunter are you speaking of?"

The Necrocula paused, trying to gather its thoughts, before continuing. _I know not who she was, but she wore strange armor. It was orange and spongy, and covered her like a coat._

Taka got that sinking feeling. It was Mylie! "What happened?" he asked the Necrocula, voice carrying an undercurrent of panic inside of it. The monster agitatedly shifted its feet and fluttered its wings, not wanting to go on.

Finally, it spoke. _She woke me up, _it said in the same simple voice. _I was curious, and my echoes blurry. I did not know she was human. I attacked. Only after I did so that I realized that she was human. But that was when Tartu rushed to her defense._

Now Taka's friends were walking up beside him to hear the story. Elric and Tenris looked at everyone else in confusion as their faces grew more and more frightened. The Necrocula's voice pounded in their ears as they listened. No one could believe what they were hearing.

_I assumed that the two were allies. I attacked again, aiming to kill Tartu. But just as I was about to, the other hunter knocked me unconscious. She defended him._ By now, everyone was listening in complete horror, but the Necrocula kept talking. There seemed to be more to the story.

_I came to almost immediately,_ the Necrocula continued, _but I stayed still, hoping to learn more about their obvious alliance. Tartu asked the other hunter for help in his plan. She accepted. Hearing more than I wanted to, I rose and flew off. Knowing that the shapeshifter was here from the other monsters in the Desert Ravine, I came here to tell him._

There was a stunned silence. Tenris angrily broke it by saying, "That traitor! Mylie actually joined Tartu! I would never have believed such a thing possible!" Relcia looked at Taka again, this time with a fearful expression in her eyes. "Why would our friend do such a thing?" she asked worriedly. "Doesn't she know that she's turning away from us, her life-long friends?"

Taka looked the most grim out of all of them. "Thank you," he told the Necrocula. "You did the right thing, bringing this... unnerving news. But now, we must act on it." The Necrocula nodded in recognition and left, stirring the air violently with its wings as it took off from a standstill.

The Chieftain appeared amongst them so suddenly that it was startling, to say the least. "This is bad indeed," she said sadly. "With two people preparing to meet the Renalimas - if indeed it does appear - I'm afraid bad things will happen to this village. Bad things, indeed."

Illeera stepped up cautiously toward the Chieftain. "Why was Tartu banished?" she asked, getting right to the point. "Why does he want Renalimas to appear so badly?" Mulling over her question for a bit, the Chief nodded once to herself, and then began to explain...

"Not many people of Canyon Village know this, but Tartu comes from an ancient tribe that lived in the Central World, and has long since become dispersed. This ancient tribe was a race of barbarians, killing everything that they came across and leaving a trail of utter devastation in their wake.

"One day, the lengths to which they would go to achieve this destruction went too far. The Emperor of all Bird Wyverns, the legendary monster known in old folktales as the Imperidrome, grew fed up with the slaughter of his brethren. Collecting an army made entirely up out of Bird Wyverns, he led them against the tribe, crushing it in the ensuing battle. Those few that survived fled to a faraway region, this region in fact, the one that you call the Mysterious Beyond.

"The Imperidrome never forgave this murderous race of humans, and declared war on the entire human population. This war, as you know, is still going on, and has only recently been stopped in the region it originated in - the Central World.

"You may be wondering where Tartu comes in. Well, he is one of the ancestors of this ancient tribe, a tribe said to have been cursed by the Imperadrome, so that misfortune follows them like a persistent spirit. So you can imagine how the villagers reacted when he wandered into this village fifteen years ago. He was lost, and only five years old at the time.

"I took him in out of pity, and found early on that he had the gift of seeing the future. Not only that, but I also found that he could see which elements that a certain few humans had the potential to control. Obviously, this includes the four of you - Taka, Relcia, Illeera, Taahnn - and Mylie as well.

"However, as he grew older, he began to predict things that only brought the village misfortune. Although he did occasionally see good things to come, this became rarer and rarer. The rest of the villagers wanted me to send him into exile for this, but I assumed that his predictions were true, and came from fate itself. Of course, now I know I was wrong. It was his curse at work.

"For a long time, Tartu was fascinated by the legends of the Misfortune Raven, the Elder Dragon more commonly known as Renalimas. This unnerved the villagers even further, since the appearance of this Dragon would plunge Canyon Village into such misfortune, it would be mind-boggling. But still, I ignored this and let Tartu stay in the village.

"Then, just a few days ago, he predicted the appearance of Renalimas. I was shocked beyond belief, that my little Tartu, whom I had raised as if he were my own child, had finally seen the arrival of the creature he had been almost entranced by. I had no choice - I had to banish him."

The six were left in total shock by this story. Questions flew through Taka's mind. _Tartu's ancestors caused the war that still rages today? The legendary Imperidrome is real? And Renalimas will come soon?_ He grew sad as the truth settled within him like a stone. _And Mylie chose to join him. Mylie chose to help him with his plan._

Such thoughts were interrupted by the sight of another shadow flashing across the ground. Taka looked up, expecting the Necrocula from earlier, back with yet more bad news. But his heart skipped a beat as he saw a familiar shape descending from the sky. It was Vulcan!

Relcia seemed to have read his mind. "It's Vulcan!" she cried, causing everyone to look over at the Rathalos. Already, Taka was rushing to greet his friend.

_Taka!_ Vulcan said in joy. _How nice it is to see you again at last! ... I was finally able to find some free time in my fathering duties to come get you - no, the eggs haven't hatched yet!_ Vulcan chuckled at Taka's unasked question.

_So, you and the others ready to go?_ The Flying Wyvern looked over each of the group in turn, including Tenris and Elric, who were staring in complete surprise at the his appearance. _Hello again, Taahnn... Nice to see you again, Relcia... Likewise, Illeera... And who are you two?_

Taka introduced Tenris and Elric, and Vulcan nodded in greeting. Elric managed a kind of shy wave, and Tenris gave him a mildly flustered smile. Obviously, the idea of communicating with monsters was still new to them.

_Where's Mylie?_ asked Vulcan, looking around the cramped village. _We need to pick her up before - what is it, Taka?_He had taken note of Taka's worried expression at the mention of Mylie's name. With a deep breath, Taka hurriedly explained the recent events that had been conspiring, with Relcia and Illeera occasionally pitching in.

When they were done, Vulcan looked very grim. _We can't just leave, then,_ he said at last. _We need to stay here and help the village until this Renalimas has been vanquished and Tartu and Mylie have been stopped._ Taka nodded determinedly. He hadn't had an adventure like this since the Taltaira rescue a year ago.

Suddenly, he heard the Chieftain gasp behind him. As one, Taka and his friends turned around and saw them. Walking into the village as if he owned the place was Tartu, and behind him was Mylie!

"Plotting against us, hmm?" Tartu asked casually, eyes darting around and taking in the scene before him. "Not a very good idea, Thunder. You see, soon Mylie and I will be the ones with unstoppable power, and you all will be helpless against us." Mylie nodded in agreement.

Vulcan growled at the sight of the traitor, making Tartu cast a bored glance his way. "So this is the Rathalos that you had been telling me about, Mylie?" When she nodded, he went on, "I'm not impressed. This wyvern will be insignificant against the might of what is coming."

Tenris took a step toward the pair and snarled, "Let me guess. Your precious Renalimas, right?" Tartu chuckled at this and replied, "Yes and no. Renalimas is still a long way away, but the misfortune it brings is already beginning to affect us. You see, a horde of monsters is converging on the village - by some rotten luck, they are all lost and hungry, and are coming here, desperate for food and ready to tear anything that gets in their way to shreds."

Everyone stiffened at the words "some rotten luck". They knew what he meant, of course - with Renalimas steadily coming closer to the Mysterious Beyond, the bad luck they would experience would just get worse and worse.

A faint, echoing roar emanated from the exit out of Canyon Village. "Would you look at that," smiled Tartu - an evil, twisted grin. "My prediction was right on time."

-.-.-.-.-.

**I love cliffhangers so much.**

**Anyway, I'll see you soon for the next chapter, hopefully. Please review in the meantime.**

**TRIVIA: The legendary Imperidrome isn't actually very important to the story for now, but I will be writing a fanfic eventually in which it does take up a major part of the plot.**


	10. The Worst of All Luck

**Don't have much to say for this next chapter, except for the fact that another of my OC monsters appears in it. As with the others, it'll be up on Deviantart soon.**

-.-.-.-.-.

Tartu stood triumphantly in front of the cavern's entrance, a malicious grin spreading across his face. The roar sounded again, this time a little louder. More roars emanated from the cave - it sounded like there was an army of monsters converging on Canyon Village!

"There's nothing you nor I can do about it," Tartu crowed, slowly drawing his sword. "Renalimas is coming, and the misfortune it brings is already here!" Mylie took out her Agnablaster, a similarly evil smile distorting her features. That she had joined Tartu and betrayed her friends still shook Taka to his core.

"It's pointless to try and fight," she cackled. "You're all cursed with the Misfortune Raven's bad luck! How can you fight off a horde of monsters without making a mistake?" She dissolved into maniacal giggles that made Taka and his friends realize how far she had slipped into darkness.

With a primal roar of fury, a full-grown Tigrex leapt from the cave mouth and into the moonlight. Just before it landed on top of Tartu, he dashed for the elevated platform that served as Canyon Village's farm. Mylie followed hastily, covering their escape with a hail of shots from her Bowgun. Everyone was forced to duck as the projectiles whistled past their heads.

The Tigrex snarled as it sized up the six hunters in front of it. Saliva dripped from its jaws and its eyes glowed a menacing red - it was clearly enraged. Behind it pounced a Green Nargacuga, yowling in rage and hunger. Taka's heart sank as a third monster stomped out from the Desert Ravine - it was clearly a Brute Wyvern, with its stocky legs and small arms, but he couldn't tell what kind. He gasped at the sight of its massive jaws, which looked like it could bite a boulder in two with no effort at all.

"Magnarok!" screamed Tenris in fear, drawing her Qurupeco Chopper. The Magnarok raised its great, horned head and howled, the sound vibrating up and down their spines. Relcia clutched Taka's hand in fear as she saw its huge, thick teeth. It was clearly a predator - a hungry one.

Two seconds went by as the trio of monsters and the contingent of hunters stared each other down. Illeera suddenly shouted, "They're the only three monsters here! Tartu was bluffing!" Indeed, no other monsters appeared from the tunnel leading into the Desert Ravine.

_We can do this! It's six on three,_ thought Taka furiously, trying to keep his spirits up. "Taahnn and Illeera, you take the Nargacuga," he muttered to them. "Your weapons will work well against it. Elric and Relcia, you go for the Tigrex. And Tenris and I will take on the Brute Wyvern." There were nods from each of the group.

"Vulcan," continued Taka. "Could you face Tartu and Mylie, and make sure that they don't get away?" Vulcan shook himself, preparing himself for the coming battle. I'll do my best, friend, he said, stretching out his wings. _The traitor deserves to be punished._

Taka gave a single nod, then yelled, "For Canyon Village!" Each hunter responded with his or her own battle cry, to which the monsters gave out their own roars. The two groups charged toward each other, prepared to do battle.

-.-.-.-.-.

The Tigrex suddenly pounced, leaping at the duo that opposed it. Elric blocked the blow with his Khezu Shock Sword, and Relcia took advantage of the beast's distraction to slice at it with her Raven Tessen. Cringing with pain, the Tigrex lashed out with a powerful claw, but to no avail.

Anger growing, the Pseudowyvern unleashed a powerful roar that knocked Relcia off her feet and Elric on his rear. A snap of its deadly jaws missed his leg by inches, and it was driven back by a swing of Elric's Great Sword. Relcia struck at an exposed flank - the sudden, unexpected attack caused the Tigrex to stumble and fall in shock.

The pair simultaneously attacked the downed Tigrex, but its flailing claws and tail made them exercise caution. However, Elric became over-eager, and was swatted aside by the monster's spiked tail. He gasped as the air was driven from his lungs and his arm was cut open.

Instantly, the Tigrex smelled the blood and knew that it had successfully wounded one of its oppressors. Growling, it leapt back onto its feet and spun towards Elric, clutching his arm and moaning. There was no way he could defend himself, and the Tigrex knew that. It moved in, ready to make the kill.

Relcia flashed into action, driving the sharp edge of one of her Dual Swords into the Pseudowyvern's arm. Blood sprayed into the air as a vein was cut open. Screaming in pain, the Tigrex faced its new adversary, Elric totally forgotten.

Mouth set in a grim line, Relcia prepared to do battle once more.

-.-.-.-.-.

Illeera shot arrow after arrow at the Green Nargacuga, and it squealed in pain as the electrified projectiles impacted against it, one after the other. Its tail whipped out of nowhere and slammed into her side, throwing her against the ground with a grunt.

Taahnn swung his Volcanic Rock and fluidly moved it to his lips, ready to play a note or two on the Hunting Horn. Before he could, the Nargacuga's bladed wing slashed out at him, forcing him to beat a hasty retreat.

Hissing ferociously, the cat-like wyvern shook its tail, then snapped it over its head, sending its tail spikes flying in front of it. Taahnn narrowly avoided them, but Illeera was less successful, as one buried itself in her shoulder. She cried out in pain and dropped her Bow instinctively.

The Green Nargacuga reacted immediately, crawling forward on its stomach toward Illeera. Taahnn hurriedly intercepted, bashing the monster on the head with his Hunting Horn. The Nargacuga stopped, dazed, as Taahnn helped Illeera up.

The wound was deep, but small. Illeera cautiously picked up her Sonic Bow IV, wincing as her injured arm gave a sharp sting of pain. She fitted an arrow into her Bow with her good arm, stumbled a little on her wooden leg, and then fired her waiting arrow.

However, the arrow had been fired too hastily. The Green Nargacuga, who had been advancing on Taahnn, spotted it out of the corner of its eye and leapt out of the way. The speeding arrow continued on its course, creating a gash in Taahnn's side as it sped past. Although he wore Bone armor, the arrow had found a bare spot where the armor didn't protect. Taahnn gasped in pain as the electrical surge caused him to spasm, then fell unconscious as the pain became too much.

_A tail spike to the arm,_ thought Illeera grimly, as the Nargacuga faced her once more. _Then an electric arrow to the side, which hit a weak spot. How long can we keep fighting before Renalimas's misfortune costs us our lives?_

-.-.-.-.-.

Tartu swiftly crawled up the rocky canyon wall, using the pre-dug handholds to his advantage. Behind him was Mylie, who was struggling a little as she pulled herself up as well.

He stopped for a moment to view the battle unfolding underneath. From his high viewpoint, he watched the three monsters mercilessly attacking the hunters, who were fighting for their very lives. Tartu grinned and thought to himself, _How unlucky they must be. To have the village attacked by three monsters, all absolutely ravenous and ready to kill to get a meal... The Renalimas is truly powerful. And it hasn't even arrived!_

Suddenly, a fireball slammed into the wall beside him, exploding violently and sending sparks showering down on him. He shook them off of his Nargacuga armor and looked up. The Rathalos that had apparently allied itself with the humans was diving down toward him and Mylie. Holding onto the wall with one hand, Tartu drew his Thondriun sword and swung it at the wyvern, carving a slight wound in its flank. It screeched as the electricity sent a painful jolt up its body.

Gritting his teeth, Tartu knew that the wyvern wasn't out yet. He continued climbing, Mylie close behind him.

-.-.-.-.-.

The Magnarok slammed its powerful jaws together with a sharp crack. Taka barely got out of the way and managed to wound the beast with a slice from his Longsword, Guan. Retreating back a few steps, the Magnarok suddenly leaped forward and crashed its jaws together with as much force as it could muster. It missed both Tenris and Taka, but a wooden house was crushed to splinters between its teeth.

Taka found himself right beside the monster. He swung Guan upwards, right into the Magnarok's flank. However, he was unable to pierce its hide, which he now saw was covered in a white, soot-like substance that functioned as armor.

However, the Magnarok noticed the attack and swiftly turned, gnashing its fangs. Taka avoided each bite, then took another powerful swing. Guan's bladed edge and Dragon element sliced clean through the Brute Wyvern's bottom-most horn. It roared in pain, drawing back and whimpering. Taka's heart went out to the Magnarok, in obvious pain, but he knew that there was no way to calm it down. He had to fight, and there was no other choice in the matter.

In a surprise maneuver, the Magnarok dug its jaw into the paved ground and flung a massive boulder at them. Tenris managed to dodge, but Taka was struck a glancing blow, driving the wind from him.

The Magnarok was on him in two mighty steps. It opened its mouth, preparing to bite Taka in two. However, it wasn't expecting Tenris to slash open a wound in its underbelly with her Qurupeco Chopper. The Magnarok howled and, instead of having its jaws slice through Taka's body, caught his Longsword in its mouth and tore it away from him.

Taka couldn't look away as, with a single bite, Guan was shattered into splinters. The pieces fell from the Magnarok's maw, and the magnificent, blue blade clattered to the ground at Taka's feet. His heart broke into just as many pieces as Guan was in.

_Taka!_ came the voice of Vulcan from above. Reluctantly, Taka averted his gaze from his broken weapon and saw his wyvern friend land. _I need your help against Tartu and Mylie. Can you come with me?_

Taka's eyes grew dark with anger as he silently picked up Guan's blade. There was still a little of the handle attached to it, and he held it as if it were just a Sword and Shield... just minus the shield. _You will pay, Tartu,_ he seethed inside. _For every sliver of Guan that litters this ground, you will pay._

-.-.-.-.-.

Vulcan landed with an awesome screech on the natural platform that was Canyon Village's farm. Looking down on the battle raging below from his considerable vantage point was Tartu, Mylie at his side. As one, they turned to see Taka leap from Vulcan's back, his miniature Longsword clenched in his fist.

"Took you long enough, Thunder," Tartu snickered. "Now you'll face ME in battle!" He drew his thin blade and held it aloft so it caught the moonlight and gleamed.

"But," said Mylie, eyes gleaming just as bright, but much more maliciously, "as I said before, how can you win when you're cursed with such bad luck?" Taka smiled at his old friend, but it wasn't a kind smile - it was a challenging one.

"I'll find a way," he said, Guan at the ready.

The battle had begun. Tartu certainly was skillful with his Sword and Shield, darting at Taka with quick, precise strikes that were all barely dodged. Taka realized that he was at a disadvantage - Tartu had more experience with his weapon, not to mention that Taka didn't have a shield.

Tartu struck again, this time at Taka's neck. He would have killed Taka instantly if it weren't for his lightning-fast reaction. He ducked, with Tartu's blade missing by a hair, and then struck with Guan, whom he was holding like a dagger. Tartu screamed as the weapon slashed at the wound in his arm, and he dropped to his knees.

As he clutched at his wound in agony, Mylie had had enough. She fired a Clust Shot at Taka, which would lodge in his side and detonate violently if it connected. Vulcan, helpfully, swatted Taka out of the projectile's path with his tail, and it hit the canyon wall instead. A huge explosion ensued a second later, pebbles showering down among the fighting group.

Mylie frantically reloaded as Taka advanced on her, Guan clenched in his hand. "You were my friend," Taka said simply, voice devoid of emotion. "I trusted you, and loved you like a sister. And this is how you repay me and my other friends - with treachery."

For the first time since he had seen her allied with Tartu, Taka saw real regret in her eyes. "Taka, you don't understand!" she cried. Vulcan snarled at her - even she could tell that he didn't believe a word. Taka continued to advance on her, reaching out with his free hand to grab the front of her Ludroth-hide coat.

"I understand that you are a traitor," he murmured softly. "And there can only be one fate for traitors..." He held his blade high, ready to strike.

"Taka..." The sadness in Mylie's voice made him falter and look closely at her. A tear slipped down her face as she whispered, "You don't understand... I-I love him, Taka." At this, Taka stopped dead and lowered Guan. He could feel her emotional pain.

"I'll let you go," he said, avoiding looking her in the eye. "But next time we meet... I won't hesitate to kill you." Before Mylie could say something, Tartu suddenly got up, wincing as his open wound poured blood onto the ground, spilling over the crops crushed under his feet.

"This isn't over," he hissed. Beckoning to Mylie, he jumped off of the platform and landed on his feet far below. With everyone still fighting the monsters below, no one could stop him from escaping. Mylie glanced at Taka and Vulcan once, then followed him.

A cold breeze swept through the area. Vulcan suddenly shivered and moaned. _I sense it..._ he whispered, squeezing his eyes shut as if afraid. Below them, the Tigrex, Magnarok, and Green Nargacuga seemed to freeze. Then another chilly wind went by, and they all unfroze, roaring and shrieking in a panic as they fled the village and into the Desert Ravine.

All was still. Elric, Taahnn, Ileera, Tenris, and Relcia all appeared on the fertile ledge and instantly took note of Vulcan's frightened state. "What's wrong?" Relcia asked Taka worriedly, putting a fearful hand on his shoulder. He brushed his hand against hers and looked at her with sad eyes. "I don't know," he murmured.

Then Vulcan spoke up, saying something that made the couple draw closer together in fear - _I sense it... The Misfortune Raven, the Renalimas... is coming._

-.-.-.-.-.

**There you go, I'll leave it at that cliffhanger.**

**Please review and stay tuned for the next chapter.**

**TRIVIA: I was incredibly disappointed when "Green Nargacuga" was revealed to be that Pseudowyvern's English name. "Emerald Nargacuga" would have been much better.**


	11. Renalimas, the Misfortune Raven

**Yawn... Here's another chapter. It's short but sweet, and it makes me glad that this fanfic is almost over.**

-.-.-.-.-.

The immense beast beat its wings slowly and strongly, effortlessly soaring through the moonlit sky. It knew that it would be there soon - its old home. The Dragon had tried to build a nest there many decades ago, but had been beat back by the hunters that had appeared to drive it away.

The monster sniffed at the memory. _Stupid humans,_ it thought sourly. _Just because they might be a little smarter than other creatures, they think that they have a right to own every inch of land they walk upon. I'm sick of them!_

Passing over the great ravine that it now remembered, it saw the old castle in the distance. _Ahh, the memories! How I loved - and still love - that building. Humans have their uses, I suppose._ It increased its speed, eager to land in its beloved home and continue what it had started.

And this time, the Renalimas wouldn't hesitate to kill any human that got in its way.

-.-.-.-.-.

The Gobul stopped on the edge of the vast desert and narrowed its eyes. It had taken a long time to get here, it recalled. As soon as its eye had healed significantly, it had gone off in search of its enemy. Now, the Leviathan sensed that the human it sought was across this desert.

It reflected on this mysterious sixth sense yet again. Somehow, the Gobul knew exactly where the shapeshifter was at any given time. Was its hate so intense, its need for revenge so strong, that it had given it psychic vision? The Gobul shook its head - such confusing thoughts would distract it from its task. And its task was to eat that cursed human alive.

The fish-like Leviathan resumed its journey. In order to avoid the dry sand, it burrowed into the ground, where it was slightly more moist than the layer of grainy soil above it. Grunting in satisfaction at the cool earth that surrounded it, the Gobul tunneled as fast as it could. There was a lot of distance to cover, it sensed.

_It'll all be worth it,_ the Gobul mused, anticipation making its muscles tense up. _Once that human slime is gone and safely in my belly - then my conscience will be clear. I won't have to worry about him ever again._

-.-.-.-.-.

Taka was thunderstruck. Relcia held on to his arm like a lifeline. Neither could quite believe what they had just heard. Illeera and Taahnn both gasped, and Tenris and Elric both looked at the four in confusion - after all, they couldn't understand Vulcan's language.

Taahnn was first to speak, in a hoarse voice tinged with disbelief. "Renalimas..." he murmured. "It's coming?!" Vulcan slowly looked up and nodded. _I sense its approach. It will be here within the hour._

Tenris let out a very audible gasp and brought her hand to her mouth. No one had ever seen her quite this frightened - she had been almost fearless in the battle that had taken place just a few minutes ago. Elric, who was already a shy, timid boy, looked like he was about to faint.

Relcia increased her grip on Taka's arm until he felt it grow numb. He winced and tried to ignore the feeling. But before he could speak, another chilly breeze, like the ones that they had felt only seconds before, swept through Canyon Village. But this time, it was so frigid, it felt like their spirits would freeze solid.

A high, keening wail reached their ears. At first, Taka thought it was the wind, but something struck him as off. The wail was followed by several harsh sounds, like the cawing of a flock of crows. The sound grew steadily closer, and coincidentally, storm clouds began to gather in the sky.

_It's the Misfortune Raven's curse,_ said Vulcan in a raspy whisper. _Our misfortune is growing as it draws nearer to the village._ Taka heard another unearthly scream, identical to the one before, and suddenly, he knew the truth. Cautiously, he said, "It isn't drawing nearer. ...It's already here."

As if it had heard Taka's words, a single caw ripped through the stunned silence. Simultaneously, everyone in the village looked up. What they saw seemed to crush their hopes and dreams right then and there.

It was a massive black shape, soaring on immense, ragged wings. The monster let out several more caws as it passed over high above them. A strange, purple dust seemed to trail behind it, and this same dust emanated from its wings as it flapped. The mysterious substance fell slowly into the gorge, settling over everything.

Elric cried out in alarm as the crops on which they stood withered and blackened as the dust coated them. Believing it to be poison, Taka coughed frantically as he breathed some in, trying to drive it from his lungs.

By now, the creature had disappeared. The storm clouds above opened with a downpour, and soon the group was soaking wet and chilled to the bone. Vulcan gathered the six shivering figures onto his back and flew down into the village itself, hoping to get them to shelter.

Huddled underneath the overhang of a particularly large structure, everyone shivered as the cold rain seemed to leak through their meagre shelter. Taka, still trying to purge the Renalimas' dust from his lungs, felt weak and dizzy. "Wh-what's happening?" he asked, unable to keep his voice from shaking. "Wh-why do I f-feel so w-weak?" Vulcan wrapped his tail around him, trying to comfort him.

"It's the Renalimas' signature ability," came the Chieftain's voice. She was walking toward them, seemingly undeterred by the driving rain. "The dust it shakes from its wings drains strength. Against humans and monsters, it has little effect aside from decreasing their stamina, but against plants, as you have seen, it is lethal."

Relcia looked at the old woman shrewdly. "Is that why you call it the Misfortune Raven?" she asked. "Because it kills off your crops?"

The Chieftain smiled. "Partially," she said cryptically. "Our ancestors, who knew little of the monsters hundreds of years ago, thought that it was part of its curse. But now we know it's simply a chemical produced by glands in its wings."

She continued, "When Renalimas appeared in this region the first time, many decades ago, a lone hunter drove it away by damaging its wings enough so that it couldn't spread its poison. Now, it seems to have healed enough to be trying for another go."

Illeera looked quizzically at her. "Another go at what?" she asked curiously. The Chief answered, "Building a nest. It invaded the castle south of here, which is why, to this day, it is historically known as the Besieged Castle."

Taka raised a shaky hand. "I th-think that we sh-should try and d-drive it off. It's n-not that I want to h-hurt it - it's only t-trying to make a n-nest, after all - but the v-village might be th-threatened by its p-power." Everyone looked at the pale teenager, who had started to fiddle with his glasses. Illeera said in awe, "You'd help humans drive away a monster, instead of doing the reverse?"

The shapeshifter shook his head weakly. "N-normally, no," he said, voice regaining a bit of its usual strength. "But th-these humans are our f-friends. I would n-never betray my friends." A little moody due to the rain, Taahnn muttered, "That's not what you would have said a year ago."

Relcia violently slapped him. "That wasn't necessary!" she raised her voice to a near shout. Taahnn's words brought back the painful memories in all of them - Taka trying to kill his friends out of anger in the guise of various monsters, each more ferocious than the last.

"So what do we do?" murmured Elric, hopelessness tinging his voice. "Even if we try to drive the Elder Dragon off, how will we succeed? You saw the bad luck it inflicted on us earlier - actually battling the Dragon itself will make it a thousand times worse!" Not even Vulcan, who was usually so encouraging, could contradict this fact. Even he knew it was hopeless.

However, the Chieftain smiled. "Not if you have this," she said, reaching into the pocket of her dress. When she brought it out, she was clutching a small jewel attached to a thin rope. "It's the village's talisman," she explained, pressing it into Taka's hand. "It's power is enough to cancel out the Renalimas' curse and allow you to fight it safely."

Taka feebly clenched it in his fist, despite the shakiness of his hand. Already, he was beginning to feel better. His heart swelled and his head cleared. _With this, the Renalimas will be no harder to defeat than that Gobul!_ he thought, then shuddered. When he remembered the Gobul that he had fought in the Murky Bog, he got a funny feeling. But there was no time to think of this now.

"Come on then!" he said, voice full and hopeful again. "Who'll go with me to the Besieged Castle and battle the Renalimas?" Illeera instantly raised her hand. "I'm your best friend, Taka," she stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "If anyone has to go, let it be me."

Relcia stood up indignantly. "I'm going too!" she yelped. Tenris and Elric both looked at each other, then nodded. "We're coming as well," Tenris said. "It's our village; we should fight for it!"

Soon everyone was volunteering. It was decided that everyone except Elric would go - he was charged with looking after Lauren, who had been injured in the previous monster attack. Illeera fought to have him come, but he shyly said that it was all right. Her concern made him blush furiously.

The rain was rapidly stopping, as if Renalimas' curse was a sentient being and had heard that they were coming for the Elder Dragon, and was giving up against their determination. Vulcan carried the five hunters on his back, and was preparing to take off.

"Beware," said the Chieftain to Taka. "Even without its curse, Renalimas has several other tricks up its sleeves. Not only does it have its draining chemical to spread, but it is also poisonous and hallucinogenic. Breathing in any of its different dusts may prove fatal."

Taka gave her a single nod from his position atop Vulcan's back. "Don't worry," he told her. "We'll all be coming back, either in failure or victory." Elric, standing behind the Chieftain and with Lauren cradled in his arms, added, "Taka? Take care of my sister for me, will you?"

Before Taka could respond, Lauren coughed slightly and rasped, "Good luck, master. I'll be waiting, nya." Taka chuckled at the two of them. Vulcan nodded to the two of them in farewell, then took off, whipping up a great wind with his broad wings.

As Vulcan veered off into the brightening sky, Taka reflected on Lauren's words: "Good luck, master." His face turned grim and he tightened his grip on the Chieftain's talisman. _Thank you, Lauren. We'll need every scrap of luck we can get..._

-.-.-.-.-.

The Gobul idly glanced at the sky and ground its teeth in frustration. A wyvern was rising from the gorge and heading south. It sensed the human it was after aboard, and it sighed. More ground to cover.

Stealthily slipping underneath the sand once again, the Gobul silently gave chase.

-.-.-.-.-.

**Next time - the showdown between Taka, the gang, and Renalimas, the Misfortune Raven!**

**TRIVIA: Renalimas gets its name from the Latin words for "great" and "misfortune". Yep, that's the Elder Dragon in a nutshell.**


	12. Taka and Illeera vs Renalimas

**Well, this fanfic is almost at a close. We still have one final battle to go through - Taka and his friends versus Tartu, Mylie, and Renalimas.**

**Renalimas will be up on Deviantart when I get the chance.**

-.-.-.-.-.

The Besieged Castle was eerily empty when Taka and the others landed. It reminded him of the story of Castle Schrade that he had heard when he had been younger. The picture in the book had been of an empty castle courtyard with a sky covered with storm clouds. Although there were no storm clouds now, it didn't change the creepy resemblance.

Taka hopped down off of Vulcan's back and surveyed the area, not that there was much to survey. He heard the gentle sounds of the others hitting the ground as well, and then the footsteps that they made as they, too, looked around.

Every single sound that they made, no matter how soft, echoed in the vast, empty courtyard. It unsettled them. The atmosphere seemed too quiet, and the silence pressed into them like a physical object. Taka could practically hear the others' thoughts.

"Where's Renalimas?" asked Taahnn tentatively, and everyone flinched at the sudden noise. "We might have gotten here early," suggested Tenris, clearly uneasy. "We only got here in about ten minutes, after all, and Renalimas was flying at a more leisurely pace than we were." But she didn't sound too sure of herself.

"What's our strategy for when it _does_ appear?" Relcia asked to no one in particular. "Aim to damage its wings," responded Illeera matter-of-factly. "That way, it won't be able to sap our strength like it did to Taka." She paused, then added, "Just make sure that you don't damage them TOO much. After all, we need it to be able to fly away."

Her words were suddenly cut off by the sound of slow, sarcastic applause. Each clap echoed loudly, making it easy for each of the party to hear. As one, they all turned to see Tartu, with Mylie by his side, standing on a high ledge on the far castle wall.

"Well done, Dragon!" he said, voice carrying so that they could clearly hear. "What an excellent plan! I should have thought of that myself!"

Taahnn didn't take his sarcasm well. He readied his Volcanic Rock and held it perpendicular to his shoulder in typical Hunting Horn fashion. "Come down off of that ledge and fight, you coward!" Tartu simply laughed, longer and louder than was necessary, goading Taahnn's temper to boil.

"No, I don't think I will!" cried Tartu, trying to catch his breath. "You see, I can simply hide up here and let Renalimas dispose of you! It won't mind, after all, because you're invading its territory and threatening its nest."

Mylie joined in, stepping up beside him and staring down at her former friends. "And when you're finished, Tartu and I will use Renalimas's awesome power to rule the Mysterious Beyond! And after that, we'll conquer the remaining regions as well! No human or monster will be able to stand up to us!" She giggled maniacally, the noise crashing in the group's already startled ears.

_How could she DO this to us?_ seethed Taka in his mind. _It doesn't matter if she loves Tartu - no one in her right mind would agree to this!_ He drew what remained of his Longsword, Guan, holding it before him like a sword. Mylie laughed even harder at the sight of the undersized weapon.

The rest drew their weapons - Relcia's Wolf Tessen Dual Swords, Tenris's Qurupeco Chopper Sword, and Illeera's Sonic Bow IV - as they heard the approach of wingbeats. _It's Renalimas,_ moaned Vulcan, shivering in both fear and cold as another frigid wind whipped through the courtyard.

Agonizingly slowly, the Misfortune Raven descended upon them. When Taka had first seen it flying above the village, he had pictured it to look much more horrific. Not so - in fact, the Elder Dragon was surprisingly majestic. It was covered in dark grey feathers, almost black in color, and its glittering green eyes regarded them with a mix of pity and hate. The feathers trailing from its wings were ragged, and puffs of purple dust cascaded from them as they blew in the breeze.

Despite the dire situation, Taka couldn't help staring at the Elder Dragon in awe. The Renalimas looked at him, and for a moment, their eyes met. Then, it spoke to him in a croaking voice.

_You,_ it said simply. Taka nodded in reply - he knew what the Renalimas was getting at. _You're the shapeshifter spoken of in the ancient legends. Why are you here now?_

For a moment, Taka couldn't speak. He wondered how he would break the news that he, the one rumored to stop the monster war in all regions across the globe, was trying to drive it away from its chosen nesting site. But then, the choice was no longer his.

"We're here to stop the plot of Tartu and Mylie," Illeera said strongly, gesturing with her head to the two perched above. "Unfortunately, their plan involves you. And that means we must chase you out of the Mysterious Beyond."

The Renalimas snorted softly, breath hissing from its nostrils. _You humans are all the same,_ it scoffed. _I can't trust any of you, even the one who will supposedly stop the war peacefully._

Still, Taka and his friends all detected something in its voice, They knew that it would not attack them, even if they attacked it first. They sensed that the Renalimas thought that they weren't worth the effort of fighting.

Tartu, not knowing the monster language and thus not understanding the conversation, grew impatient. "What are you waiting for, Renalimas?" he shouted down. "Destroy them!" The Elder Dragon looked at him with disdain, and turned back to the five humans and Vulcan.

_He's right, you know,_ it said to them, regarding them with its intense green eyes. _You are invaders in my territory, and you admit that you seek to drive me away in a hostile manner. I consider the five of you to be enemies._ Then it glanced at Vulcan and continued, _I have no quarrel with you, wyvern. You may leave here in peace._

Vulcan growled - he didn't take kindly to being simply called "wyvern". _I don't think so,_ he shot back, loyally shielding the five with his tail. _I stick with my friends._ Renalimas scoffed once again and said with the same disdain with which it had stared at Tartu, _A monster, siding with the humans? You are lower than I thought. I, an Elder Dragon, would never have such feelings toward filthy humans._

The Flying Wyvern snarled, his pride hurt. Tenris raised her Qurupeco Chopper, about to signal the start of the fight, when a noise caused her to stop. "What was that?" she asked to no one in particular. Everyone else was just as clueless as they looked around for the source. But Taka began to get that feeling - a deep sense of fear, one that threatened to overwhelm him and send him running in sheer terror. The last time he had felt this sensation, he had been fighting - _Oh no._

He slowly turned around toward the far side of the courtyard. There, glaring at him with the most intense hatred that he had only seen once before, was the Gobul that he had injured in the Murky Bog. Its scarred eye was now a hazy white color, and its good eye glowed the same ferocious yellow as when they had first met. _Another Vengeful Gobul..._ Taka thought in horror. _It's still after me from when we last fought._

Then it roared, and in response, the Renalimas gave its spine-tingling wail. Both monsters charged at the contingent of hunters, and they readied their weapons. The battle had begun.

-.-.-.-.-.

The Besieged Castle truly lived up to its name, what with the chaos that had unfolded.

The hunters (and Vulcan) were being attacked on two fronts - one with a Leviathan determined to swallow Taka alive, and the other with an Elder Dragon powerful enough to take them all down in mere minutes. Taka sighed as he swung his broken Yan Yue Dao (G) futilely at the Renalimas, while at the same time avoiding a reckless tackle by the Vengeful Gobul.

Soon, the hunters had been separated into two groups - Taka and Illeera were facing the Vengeful Gobul, while Taahnn, Relcia, and Tenris were fighting Renalimas. Vulcan was lending his support to both teams, striking from the air with his poisonous talons and his fireballs.

Sparking its lantern, the Vengeful Gobul roared and produced a brilliant light that filled the battlefield. Illeera had been blinded temporarily, and if the Leviathan hadn't been focusing so much on Taka, she would have been doomed. As it were, Taka had managed to shield his eyes with the flat of his blade, so he was able to dodge the gnashing jaws of his adversary.

He swiftly struck two blows with Guan, piercing the Gobul's side both times and causing it to flinch in pain. Taka then followed that up with a thrust, which drove his weapon deep into its flank. Wincing, the Vengeful Gobul turned and snapped again at Taka's heels - yet again, he had managed a narrow escape.

Illeera recovered her eyesight right then and fired three arrows in rapid succession, all coated with Sleep Coating. Almost immediately, the Vengeful Gobul yawned and slumped to the ground, wriggling sluggishly as it tried to fight the sedative. But it was no good - now it was fast asleep, and Taka and Illeera were able to join their three friends against Renalimas.

They got there just in time to see the great monster spread its wings and shake a deep purple powder from them. Then, it snapped its bill once to signal the start of the attack, and flapped its wings furiously. A huge cloud of poison swept toward the group, and Taahnn and Illeera were both struck. Tenris's shield seemed to have saved her, as did Relcia's fan-like Dual Swords.

Of course, they had all prepared for this. Taahnn and Illeera both swallowed a bit of Antidote, which immediately got to work healing the poison. Vulcan struck once again from the sky, slashing at Renalimas with his claws. However, the Elder Dragon retaliated, rising into the air and creating a huge gash in Vulcan's leg with its own talon.

In order to stop it from finishing off Vulcan, Illeera fired an arrow that speared Renalimas in the wing, causing it to caw in distress and fall to the ground. As soon as it did, Taka sprung with Guan in hand, slicing madly at its flailing legs.

Renalimas got back up, reared its head up high, and sprayed a huge cloud of magenta gas from its beak. Taka choked at the horribly sweet taste of the noxious gas, and backed away, coughing. Instantly, he knew something was wrong.

His vision was blurred at the edges, but it wasn't foggy enough to totally distort his sight. However, he saw things that he hadn't seen a few seconds ago - there was a Bullfango in the courtyard, and it was charging at him! He yelled out as the boar-like monster crashed into him, sending him flying into the ground. But the instant he swung his weapon at it, it disappeared.

Taka was totally confused. _Huh?_ he thought - even his mind was a little blurry. And then he remembered what the Chief had briefly mentioned. _Gigginox spit! She said that the Renalimas could spray a hallucinogen! I'm only seeing things that aren't real!_ Luckily, he realized this just as another Bullfango tore across the battlefield at him. Taka held his ground, and the Bullfango vanished before it even touched him.

Clear of the gas' effects, Taka was back in action, striking at the Renalimas with a vengeance. In the time that he had been taken out of action, Taahnn had suffered a bad wound to his arm and couldn't hold his Volcanic Rock properly, and Tenris had been doused with Renalimas' stamina-draining dust.

About to strike a blow to the Elder Dragon's chest, Taka was thrown off balance when the Vengeful Gobul suddenly sprang out of nowhere and careened into him, driving him into the earth. _Crap, Illeera's drug must have worn off._Illeera noticed this, and joined Taka once more against his hated enemy.

The battle raged on, with Taka and his best friend rapidly driving the Gobul back. However, their attempts at luring it against a wall completely backfired - a surprise maneuver by the Leviathan made sure that they were the ones that were trapped. Above them, Tartu's eyes widened with anticipation.

Taka looked up, shaking his head to ward off the dizziness that had begun to consume him. He saw the Vengeful Gobul opening its jaws, prepared to bite Illeera in half. He closed his eyes, not wanting to watch - when he suddenly felt a tiny spark from deep inside of him.

With that spark came a memory. _Tartu called me Thunder, because I can control the Thunder element. That is what I must do! Concentrate and summon my elemental power!_

Taka squeezed his eyes even tighter, searching for the source of that spark. He found it after a second and psychically grabbed it. With all of his willpower, Taka commanded the energy within him to destroy the Vengeful Gobul.

At first, there was nothing - and then, a massive jolt of lighting blasted from Taka's body, crashing into the Vengeful Gobul and ensnaring it with electricity. The Gobul roared in pain, and the roar became deafening as the electric cage suddenly closed in, wrapping it in its tendrils. With a final hiss, the Vengeful Gobul clamped its jaws so hard that several of its teeth broke, and lay still.

Illeera pulled Taka into a tight hug, grateful to him for having saved her life. Taka was so relieved, that he hugged her back with just as much enthusiasm. When they broke apart at last, they heard another wail from Renalimas - they battle was not yet over. Stepping over the Gobul's charred carcass, Taka ran into battle, Illeera limping along behind him on her prosthetic leg.

Vulcan was unconscious from blood loss, as Renalimas had injured him further. Relcia was also in danger, with one of the monster's massive talons clutching her like a vice. Taka yelled in fear and anger at the sight, and ran even harder, desperate to save her.

But he was too late. The Renalimas' thick, sharp beak raced toward her, about to deliver the fatal blow. There was a shrill scream, and a spurt of blood, and Taka knew that it was over.

However, as he wiped the tears from his eyes, he saw a new sight, one that he hadn't noticed at first. The Renalimas had released Relcia, still very much alive, and was tossing the lifeless corpse of Taahnn over its feathered shoulder. He landed next to Taka, a gaping hole in his chest, sightless eyes staring up at him with frozen fear.

Taka felt his heart snap at the loss of one of his dearest friends. Nostrils flaring, Taka released a primal growl of pure fury as he ran once more toward Renalimas, Guan held at the ready. Vulcan, fighting to regain his consciousness, opened his eyes and fixed them upon Taka.

When Taka reached the Elder Dragon, he jumped with all of his might, trying to reach its head, held up high. Renalimas turned, and its emerald eyes widened in surprise. There was a huge flash of black lightning as Taka struck with Guan. He landed off to Renalimas' right side, on all fours. The Dragon element enfused within Guan's blade had proved fatal to Renalimas.

Numb with shock, the Elder Dragon reached up with a talon to touch the ferocious slash in its neck. With a final, terrible screech that released all of the Renalimas' emotions, the Misfortune Raven collapsed onto its side and stopped breathing. Its eyes closed, seemingly at peace with the world now that its time was up.

They had done it. The Renalimas was no more.

-.-.-.-.-.

**Finally, they've done it - Taka and the gang have slain the Renalimas and foiled Tartu and Mylie's plans.**

**The last chapter will be up soon, so please review and wait patiently.**

**TRIVIA: I had originally intended this fanfic to be 15 chapters. However, since each chapter was too short, I combined a couple, shortening it to 13 chapters. Which, coincidentally, ties in with the premise of misfortune that this story revolves around.**


	13. Families of Humans and Wyverns

**Here we are, readers (if there are any left) - the final chapter of Monster Hunter Destiny: Chronicle. No action or anything, just a nice, happy ending.**

-.-.-.-.-.

It took everyone who had participated in the battle - Taka, Illeera, Tenris, Relcia, and Vulcan - a full week to get over their injuries. Vulcan was now fully healed from the various wounds that Renalimas had given him, and Illeera's wooden leg had finally reached the last of its integrity. After the Battle of the Beyond, as they now called it, the prosthetic limb had become so stressed that it snapped in two.

Now, she was perched on Vulcan's back as she always was, deep in thought. Almost as soon as they had arrived back in Canyon Village, they had begun to mourn the loss of Taahnn. Burying him had taken them until mid-morning, and after Taka had finished carving his gravestone, they had propped up his Hunting Horn against it as a testimony of his bravery.

Taka, especially, was grateful to Taahnn for saving Relcia's life. He had broke down sobbing at the funeral, and Vulcan and Illeera had led him away and comforted him. Then he was truly thankful for having such good friends as the two of them. _They will always be my dearest friends, no matter what,_ he thought, still very sad but not as depressed as he had been earlier.

Lauren had been there, almost fully healed, thanks to Elric. Although she had been happy to see her master, that changed to sadness almost as intense as his when she discovered the bad news. She had mourned with him, in her own way. Taka always remembered her words with a smile: "I wanted to mourn with you, master. Taahnn was a good furr-end, nya."

A week later, the celebrations could finally start. So far, the party had been going for a full twelve hours, and it was almost midnight. Taka yawned as he sat facing the huge bonfire that had been lit. So much had happened on this adventure, and he felt as if he hadn't slept in an age.

So tired was he that he never noticed Relcia approach until she had sat down next to him and wrapped her arms gently around him. Taka looked at her with half-closed eyes and rested his head on her shoulder in pure exhaustion.

"It feels like forever since things were normal," she said softly, tightening her grip a little bit. Taka smiled idly as the memories flooded back to him. "We were in the Forested Spring when this whole mess started," he whispered, relaxing visibly.

Relcia bent her head a little closer to his. "Our first date..." she said in his ear, smiling at him. Taka slowly sat up and smiled back at her. The next thing they knew, they were kissing passionately, just like the last time they had been alone together.

_Well, well,_ said a voice from right behind them. _Oh, sorry. I couldn't resist ruining such a tender moment_. Instantly, Taka and Relcia broke apart and whipped around. The first thing they saw was a heron-like Bird Wyvern staring at them with a toothy smirk on its beak.

"Helix!" exclaimed Taka. "What a surprise!" The Moardea's smirk became a grin as she wrapped her neck around him and nuzzled him with her beak. _Nice to see you again,_ Helix said fondly. She straightened up and turned her gaze to Relcia. _And you are a friend of Taka's, I assume?_ Relcia blushed a bright crimson at Helix's teasing, but good-natured, tone.

"OK, that's enough, Helix," admonished Taka. "No need for the sarcasm." She smirked again and said, _Sorry. Like I said, I couldn't resist._ Relcia simply sighed in exasperation and held Taka's hand, to which he smiled slightly.

And then, another unexpected voice made them jump. _Enough with that,_ it grumbled. _Youse love-Bird-Wyverns are going to make me sick._ A grin slowly spread across Taka's face as he recognized the accent. He turned around, and sure enough, there stood Dronk the Thondriun.

Relcia muffled her shriek behind her hand as she saw the giant scorpion-like Carapaceon. Her reaction made him burst out in raucous laughter._Oh, youse should have seen the expression on your face,_ he guffawed, twitching his long tail in amusement. Taka and Helix joined in, and even Relcia managed a nervous giggle.

"What are you doing here?" asked Taka. _We heard the rumors,_ answered Helix. _We heard that you killed the Renalimas! So we journeyed down here to find out._ She flapped her wings excitedly and finished, _Seems we were right! We knew you were a hero._

With a faint tinge of pink on his cheeks at this praise, Taka modestly looked away and saw Elric fitting Illeera with a new prosthetic leg, this time made of pure Iron Ore. When he had finished, she hugged him gratefully. The sight made Taka smile.

-.-.-.-.-.

Early morning signaled the day of departure for Taka, Relcia, Illeera, Taahnn, Lauren, and Vulcan. There to wish them farewell were the Chieftain, Tenris, Elric, Helix, and Dronk - the latter two had stayed overnight to see off their friend Taka with the others.

"Take care," murmured the Chieftain. Taka reached out and handed her the talisman that she had given him for the fight with Renalimas. She pocketed it and added, "May all of your adventures be fruitful."

Tenris shook Taka's hand, along with those of the others. She finished with a pat on the head for Vulcan, who responded with a gentle lick on her cheek. "Come visit us in the Central World sometime," invited Taka, to which Tenris responded with a sad smile. Elric followed his sister's lead, shaking everyone's hands and blushing ferociously when he got to Illeera.

Helix and Dronk said their own good-byes to Taka, as well as everyone else. _Farewell__**, Taka,**_ whispered Helix in a voice that was simultaneously happy and sad. _Youse be safe, now,_ muttered Dronk gruffly. Taka, as a joke, turned into a perfect replica of Dronk and said, "We will, thank youse very much." Everyone burst out in gales of laughter as Dronk harrumphed and turned away in embarrassment.

At last, the time for farewells came to an end. Vulcan rose into the sky majestically, greating huge gusts of wind that blew the hair from Tenris' and Elric's faces. The three humans and two monsters waved at their friends, on the back of the King of the Skies.

Taka relaxed as Relcia put her arms on his shoulders. He gripped the scales of Vulcan's neck as Lauren sat on his lap. _We're going home,_ he thought simply as his wyvern friend carried them to the one place that he had missed most - Mediatas Village.

-.-.-.-.-.

Taka's heart leapt when the Desert Sea at last came to an end, and the familiar sight of the Wet Rainforest came into view. They were back in the Central World at last!

During the long journey back home, Taka had replayed the adventure that him and his friends had gone through these past few days - arriving in the Mysterious Beyond and protecting Canyon Village from a rogue Pariapuria, fighting the Gobul and meeting Tartu, talking with Helix and Dronk, the epic battle with the Lumidusa and later, the Renalimas and the Vengeful Gobul. They had lost Taahnn, who had died saving Relcia's life, but other than that, it had been a great and massively fun adventure for them all.

After what felt like an age, the Wet Rainforest disappeared behind them, and Taka saw with tears in his eyes the sight that he had been looking forward to ever since he had left - the sight of small, innocent Mediatas Village, sitting in the middle of a medium-sized grassland, bordered by the Barren Desert, Idyllic Ocean, and other locations.

Vulcan began to descend, coming in for a landing in the centre of the village. Taka and the others braced for the bumpy landing that they knew was coming - after all, wyverns weren't Hunting Planes, which had smoother landings than anything Taka had ever seen.

With a shriek, Vulcan landed, using his talons to brake and sliding forward a few feet on them. He took a step back to steady himself and crouched down, allowing everyone to disembark. Taka sighed as he took in the familiar sights of his home village.

He was home, and that thought made him truly happy.

-.-.-.-.-.

The Elder asked to see them right away. He wanted to know about the Mysterious Beyond - what monsters lived there, if the war was still going on, and other things. Taka took a deep breath and began to tell his story.

The sun was setting when Taka had finished his story. The Elder was silent for a long time, and then he croaked, "I am truly sorry for the loss of Taahnn. I am also sorry that Mylie departed in such a... dishonorable way. But this mission was one of great success, it seems."

The three friends remained quiet as the Elder continued. "I shall inform Hydra that her contacts in the Military Bastion shall now maintain contact with the Mysterious Beyond, as well as Moga and Minegarde as always." Taka grinned - he had completely forgotten that Hydra was now the captain of the patrols that kept the Central World safe.

As if he had read Taka's mind, the Village Elder smiled thinly. "Hydra has waited with much anticipation for your return, Taka. She probably wants to see you and the others," he said, gesturing to Illeera and Relcia. Taka nodded gratefully, but didn't say anything. The hour or so of storytelling had made his throat sore.

The three friends found Hydra with her monster companion, a Basarios named Geon. Hydra's back was to them - she was totally focused on the Herbs she was growing - and it was only when Geon exclaimed, _Taka!_ that she turned around.

Taka opened his mouth to say hello, and suddenly couldn't find the breath to do so. Hydra had snared him in her embrace, and didn't let go until he started wheezing desperately for air. By now, Relcia and Illeera were in the middle of a giggling fit that left them gasping as well.

When Hydra had let go, Taka was finally able to say, "Hello, sister." He said this with a grin, and his grin grew even broader when he got a better look at her. "Tell me, did you gain weight? If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you were..." His voice trailed off and his smile faded as he realized the truth.

"Yep," laughed Hydra. It was her turn to grin as she broke the good news that she had been waiting to tell. "You're going to be an uncle, Taka." The seventeen-year-old just gaped as Illeera patted him on the back and said, "Congratulations, friend. Just hope you don't get asked to babysit in the future." Taka broke out of his stunned state and laughed along with everyone else.

Suddenly, Vulcan was amongst them. _You're going to be an uncle much sooner than you think, Taka,_ he said cryptically. Before Taka could ask what the Flying Wyvern meant, Vulcan was walking away and saying over his shoulder, _Come on and let me show you. You too, Relcia._

Illeera looked confused as the two walked off behind Vulcan. "I don't understand," she murmured to herself. "What business of Vulcan's would possibly concern the two of them?"

Hydra, who had overheard, bent down and said, "I think I know..." She proceeded to whisper in Illeera's ear, and when she had finished, Illeera had a broad, excited smile on her face.

-.-.-.-.-.

The sun had completely set when they reached the cave. Reia was waiting at the entrance, along with Syrie and Zin. For once, the Fanged Wyvern managed to keep himself in check and not blurt everything out like he normally would. Syrie simply winked at Taka and Relcia, saying, _You're not going to believe this._

Reia smiled fondly at the two friends. _Nice to see you again, dear Taka. You as well, Relcia. But no more stalling, I want to show the two of you something._ With that, she disappeared into the dark cave, indicating with her tail that they should follow her.

Cautiously, Taka stepped into the cavern, followed by Relcia and Vulcan. It was odd - Reia had never let anyone except Vulcan into her lair, ever. For the life of him, Taka couldn't figure out what was going on.

-.-.-.-.-.

The lair consisted of a narrow tunnel that was just wide enough for an average-sized wyvern to fit through, then widened into a perfectly circular cavern that was big enough to fit a dozen of them. A small hole in the ceiling let moonlight through, illuminating the centre of the den. Bones and shed scales littered the floor.

In this particular spot, there was a shallow pit covered with leaves, grass, and other soft materials. Sitting in this pit were three glistening white eggs. Taka took a deep breath - he had never seen wyvern eggs so close up before. The pure simplicity of them sitting innocently in their nest was enough to bring tears to his eyes.

He and Relcia both stopped walking when they were near the edge of the nest. Vulcan was behind them, and Reia was making herself comfortable on the other side, lying on her side as if preparing to sleep. All of a sudden, Relcia gasped and pointed to one of the eggs. Taka took a closer look at it and gasped as well - the shell was beginning to crack.

Vulcan drew closer, wrapping his wing around them comfortably. Relcia clutched Taka's hand as the egg continued to crack. Eventually, the shell had been damaged enough for a small section of it to break off. Slowly and cautiously, a small, grey head emerged from the egg.

Taka felt as if his heart would burst with love at the sight. The Rathling chirped pathetically as it tried to force its eyes open. Glued together with slime, its eyelids slowly retreated, allowing the chick to get its first good look at the world around it.

Its beautiful blue eyes fixed on Vulcan. It instinctively struggled to break free of its egg, desperate to get to the being that it instantly knew was its father. Rapidly losing energy, it stopped, panting slightly.

That's when its head turned toward Taka and Relcia. Just like it knew that Vulcan was its father, it knew that these two humans were also family. Successfully breaking free of its shelled prison, it tried to scramble toward them, only to fall flat on its scaly face.

Taka laughed good-naturedly at the sight of the slimy Rathling trying to get to its feet, random bits of eggshell sticking to it. Relcia sighed and wrapped her arms around Taka's waist. He knew that she was completely at peace here in this cavern. Taka knew that he should be at peace too, but something was nagging at him, causing him to worry. _Our troubles aren't over,_ he thought privately, in the back of his mind. _Tartu and Mylie are still out there, and I bet they'll form a new plan to take control of the many regions before long._

Involuntarily, Taka smiled as the wyvern chick continued to struggle to its feet, and as the other two eggs began to shudder and crack. _Tomorrow,_ he decided. _Tomorrow, I will worry. But not now._

Taka slipped an arm around Relcia and held her close as two more infant Rathlings hatched and spread their wings to embrace their new world.

**THE END**

-.-.-.-.-.

**And that's that! Thanks to the people who gave me those 4 reviews for this story, and thanks to whomever decided to read this without leaving a review.**

**The story isn't over - we still have one more fanfic to get through before Taka's adventure ends for good. Stay tuned for "Monster Hunter Destiny: The Darkness Within"!**


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